Home / Business and Economy / Crisp Spearheads Global Microdrama Revolution Towards $26B Market
Crisp Spearheads Global Microdrama Revolution Towards $26B Market
13 Nov
Summary
- Crisp organizes "Future Is Vertical" conference on short-form content
- Microdrama market outside China forecast to reach $9.5B by 2030
- Almad Group founder Cheng pioneers "cultural commerce" model
On November 13, 2025, key stakeholders in the microdrama industry will converge in Seoul for the "Future Is Vertical: The Global Rise of Short Form Media" conference, organized by short-form video content company Crisp. The event aims to chart the next phase of an industry racing toward $26 billion in global revenues by 2030.
Spearheaded by Adrian Cheng, chair of Crisp and the newly formed Almad Group, the conference will bring together operators, platforms, content creators, and technology providers to discuss the rapid growth of microdrama ecosystems worldwide. Cheng, a Harvard graduate who pioneered the "cultural commerce" model, founded Almad Group in 2025 as a global conglomerate dedicated to harnessing opportunities across culture, entertainment, and media.
The conference will explore the origins of the short-form format, which has emerged from adjacent industries like gaming and web novels, and examine how these revenue models can be integrated with traditional subscription-based approaches. Panels will also tackle the challenges of internationalization, creative evolution, and the role of AI in maintaining quality and lowering costs. Experts predict the global microdrama market outside China, which generated $1.4 billion in 2024, will reach $9.5 billion by 2030, with Japan, Southeast Asia, and Latin America leading the growth.
