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How soap opera-TikTok hybrids became a billion-dollar market | Equity Podcast

Over the past few years, a new category of mobile apps has quietly exploded into a multi-billion dollar business. They’re called “micro dramas” — short-form, mobile-first scripted shows designed to be watched vertically on your phone. Think soap opera meets TikTok, complete with secret billionaire romances, disapproving werewolf mothers-in-law, and cliffhangers engineered to keep users…

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Over the past few years, a new category of mobile apps has quietly exploded into a multi-billion dollar business. They’re called “micro dramas” — short-form, mobile-first scripted shows designed to be watched vertically on your phone. Think soap opera meets TikTok, complete with secret billionaire romances, disapproving werewolf mothers-in-law, and cliffhangers engineered to keep users tapping. The leading app, ReelShort, made $1.2 billion in consumer spending last year alone.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan and TechCrunch senior reporter Amanda Silberling sit down with Henry Soong, founder of Watch Club, who thinks the micro drama industry is still “in its MySpace era.” He has a vision for what the Facebook moment could look like.

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:11 Why micro dramas, and why now?

04:25 What makes Watch Club different

07:29 The monetization model problem

18:52 Optimizing for intentionality, not engagement

24:23 Why Quibby failed (content, product & business model)

28:22 Defensibility: tech company or studio?

31:36 AI, the WGA, and the future of storytelling

33:44 Outro

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  1. @HariOmStudymotivation

    March 25, 2026 at 12:56 pm

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CNET

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There’s still a lot of rumor, speculation, and alleged leaks around the possibility of Apple releasing a foldable phone, but who would this be for, anyway? One guess: it could be for people who miss the iPad Mini, if the apps can just work. #ipad #iphone #iphoneultra #iphonefold

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Fresh off raising a $1.3 billion fund, Eclipse Ventures is doubling down on what it calls physical AI. In this StrictlyVC interview from our 2026 event in San Francisco, co-founder and managing partner Lior Susan discusses robotics, manufacturing, autonomous systems, and what it takes to build enduring companies where AI meets the physical world. Plus, you can get a peek into Susan’s perspective about the SpaceX IPO.

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The OpenAI vs. Elon Musk Trial Is Getting Messy Fast | Equity Podcast

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