Summary in Plain Language
Recently, the entertainment industry has discovered a low-risk opportunity for profit: adapting classic TV series that have been around for ten to twenty years, such as "Six Teams of Serious Crimes" and "Soul Ferry," into "mid-length dramas" with 12-30 episodes and each episode lasting 15-30 minutes. These dramas are much shorter than the traditional long-form series with forty to fifty episodes but longer than the short, vertical-format dramas. They are told using the standard horizontal narrative format.
In the past, reviving these old IPs for long-form dramas required investments of tens of millions to hundreds of millions of yuan and took several years to produce. If the project failed, it could result in huge losses. However, with the mid-length drama format, the costs are lower, the production speed is faster, and the project approval process is more flexible. This format has also established a dual revenue stream through both video platform partnerships and television purchases, and several successful dramas have already been produced. But this isn't as easy as just using an old IP name to make money effortlessly. Many adaptations have made mistakes by drastically changing the characters, and most teams haven't yet grasped the unique creative principles of mid-length dramas. There are also significant challenges in converting these IPs into profitable content, so the entire industry is still in the exploratory phase.
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Detailed Analysis
1. Why were old IPs not ventured into before, and why have they suddenly become so popular with mid-length dramas?
In the past, reviving old IPs was considered a high-risk venture in the entertainment industry. First, the copyrights for many old dramas were spread among several companies, making it difficult for new investors to acquire them all. Even if the copyrights were obtained, producing traditional long-form dramas involved a lengthy approval process that could take two to three years, and there were many instances of projects failing, resulting in substantial losses. The mid-length drama format solves these problems: the total runtime is only about three to four hundred minutes, the production cost is much lower (ranging from several million to tens of millions of yuan), and the approval process is simpler. The cost of making mistakes has been reduced by more than half. Additionally, this format has established a dual revenue stream: online, platforms earn revenue based on viewership (for example, "Disappeared Police Signal" earned 5.41 million yuan in its first day of streaming); offline, the dramas can be sold to television stations, which are familiar with these old IPs and can achieve high ratings with much less investment. This format is profitable for platforms, investors, and television stations. Even less well-known IPs, such as "The Soul of Chess" and "My First Half of Life," have a large audience with emotional connections, making them highly profitable.
2. The critical rule for adapting old IPs into mid-length dramas: never touch the emotional core
The emotional value of old IPs is their greatest strength, but it's also the most sensitive area to missteps. Over the years, viewers have developed a deep understanding of the characters and the overall tone of the dramas. Any significant changes to these elements will immediately alienate the original fans. Successful adaptations, like "Soul Ferry: Ten Years," have maintained the core elements while adding modern themes like live broadcasts and AI virtual idols, which resonate with both old and new audiences. In contrast, the prequel of "Six Teams of Serious Crimes" changed the character of the rational and composed detective Ji Jie into an irritable one, leading to negative reactions from fans and a poor reputation.
3. 90% of adaptation teams are making mistakes: they don't know how to produce mid-length dramas
Teams adapting old IPs into mid-length dramas typically fall into two categories, each with their own problems:
- Teams used to producing long-form dramas tend to remove all the sideplots and shorten the storyline to meet the new format, resulting in a lack of depth and a confusing narrative.
- Teams used to making short, vertical-format dramas focus on dramatic twists and sudden conflicts, often making drastic changes (for example, they added a "time-travel" element to "My Fair Princess"). While this may increase viewership, it alienates the original fans, turning the drama into a shallow, unengaging product.
4. A seemingly stable business with an invisible limit on profits
Although the mid-length drama format seems profitable, there is a significant limitation: each episode is only about 20 minutes long, leaving little space for advertising. Brands struggle to find suitable opportunities for integration. Only the most popular IPs, like "Soul Ferry: Ten Years," can generate some commercial revenue through partnerships. For less well-known IPs, the main sources of income are platform revenue and television purchases, which limits potential profits. Traditional long-form dramas can generate substantial additional revenue from advertising, but this is not possible with mid-length dramas, and no perfect solution has been found yet.
5. Mid-length dramas are not a panacea for reviving old IPs; it's still about quality
The industry is full of unproduced mid-length dramas based on old IPs, from "Let's Watch the Meteor Shower" to new spin-offs of "Six Teams of Serious Crimes." Many think using an old IP name guarantees success, but mid-length dramas simply lower the barriers to entry. While they can attract some fans, retaining them and appealing to new viewers depends on maintaining the original IP's spirit and telling a story that resonates with modern audiences. Only when the industry develops a mature approach to producing mid-length dramas and solves the advertising issues will this format become a true new growth driver in the entertainment industry.