MUMBAI: Three weeks. That’s all it took for FlareFlow to vault from newcomer to number one on America’s free entertainment app charts, on both iOS and Android. The microdrama platform—brief, serialised stories designed for mobile screens—has cracked a formula that’s reshaping how millions consume entertainment. And it’s not stopping at American shores.
Col group’s international platform hit a new single-day revenue record just three weeks after breaking into America’s top five on Google Play. The surge signals something bigger than a viral moment: audiences worldwide are abandoning hourlong episodes for stories that fit between tube stops.
According to Sensor Tower data from 22 August to 20 September 2025, FlareFlow now ranks third in Germany, fourth in Australia and fifth in Canada among short-drama and entertainment apps. The momentum reflects a fundamental shift in viewing patterns. Where audiences once defaulted to traditional series or films, they’re increasingly choosing bite-sized narratives that slot seamlessly into daily routines.
China offers a glimpse of what’s coming. Microdrama revenues there have already overtaken the traditional box office, according to Media Partners Asia, with Col’s intellectual property portfolio driving much of that growth. FlareFlow is now exporting this model globally, adapting genres to local tastes: revenge plots, flash marriages and family conflict dominate in Southeast Asia, whilst young adult fiction, werewolves and CEO-driven dramas resonate in Western markets.
“This is not a passing trend in China or America—it’s a global shift in storytelling,” said Col group chief executive Ray Tong. “People have consumed vertical content since Instagram Stories and TikTok, but what’s evolving is the storytelling itself. FlareFlow is shaping that evolution for audiences everywhere.”
To sustain this growth, Col is investing heavily in infrastructure and partnerships. The company has established more than 30 international production teams across Los Angeles, New York, Canada, London and southeast Asia, supported by dual post-production centres in Beijing and Los Angeles. By year-end 2025, it plans to open the industry’s first purpose-built microdrama production studio in Hengqin, Greater Bay Area—a 10,000-square-metre facility with 30 soundstages tailored specifically for short-form content.
With a pipeline of 280 dramas, FlareFlow is scaling aggressively. Since launching in April 2025, the platform has surpassed 15 million downloads across 177 regions, with monthly user spending increasing more than 500 per cent.
“What excites us most is that it isn’t just about FlareFlow’s growth—it’s about investing in an ecosystem,” added at Col group general manager for international press and southeast Asia Timothy Oh. “Our investments worldwide are helping the industry adapt and thrive as microdramas become part of everyday viewing.”
The question now isn’t whether microdramas will succeed, but how quickly they’ll reshape the global entertainment landscape.
