TikTok Secures Multiyear Pact With Made By Us Studios Following Huge M

TikTok Secures Multiyear Pact With Made By Us Studios Following Huge Microdrama Success

TikTok partners with Made By Us Studios for new creator-led microdramas after its previous show hit nearly 580 million views.

NationPulse Desk

Oct 21, 2026 · 2:31 PM 2 min read

Key takeaways

TikTok signed a multiyear deal with Made By Us Studios to co-produce creator-led microdramas.

The previous collaboration with HOORAE titled Screen Time reached nearly 580 million views globally since April 2026.

TikTok launched PineDrama in January 2026 in the US and Brazil with free one-minute vertical episodes.

The global microdrama market reached $11 billion in 2025 and could hit $14 billion by the end of 2026 according to Omdia.

TikTok secured a multiyear agreement with Made By Us Studios to jointly create a series of creator-driven microdramas. This arrangement grants TikTok exclusive distribution rights for chosen material on its platform and PineDrama. Made By Us Studios describes its work as bridging traditional Hollywood and the digital creator economy.

This step expands on a previous collaboration between TikTok and Issa Rae production company HOORAE. That team-up yielded Screen Time, which debuted in April 2026 and accumulated nearly 580 million views worldwide since its release. TikTok currently designates the series as the highest-performing program on both TikTok and PineDrama.

The fresh agreement features Player, a romantic revenge thriller starring content creator Hannah Stocking, who also acts as executive producer. Another project titled The Knock features creator Adam Rose and actress Zaria Simone, with horror studio Spooky Pictures producing. Spooky Pictures is known for titles like Paranormal Activity and The Ring. Both titles premiered at MIPCOM Cannes 2026.

TikTok initially released PineDrama in January 2026 across the US and Brazil. The application provides one-minute vertical episodes completely free of charge, featuring zero ads or paywalls. Competing services like ReelShort and DramaBox require users to pay up to $20 weekly to access episodes. ByteDance runs two additional microdrama platforms in Asia named Melolo and Red Fruit.

The worldwide microdrama sector now commands attention across the industry. Research from Omdia shows the market reached $11 billion in 2025 and may climb to $14 billion by the conclusion of 2026. Industry projections reported by Variety suggest the market could hit $26 billion annually by the year 2030.

ReelShort maintains the top position internationally with a 29% market share and 70 million monthly active users. US users spend an average of 35.7 minutes daily watching ReelShort, compared to 24.8 minutes for Netflix mobile users, based on figures from Sensor Tower. Netflix maintains a much larger total audience.

Downloads for short drama applications jumped 95.5% compared to the previous year during the first half of 2026, hitting 1.45 billion worldwide according to Mintegral data. Advertisers active on microdrama platforms increased by 132% year over year. Estimates from EMARKETER indicate US microdrama viewership will climb from 5 million in 2026 to 10.8 million by 2028.

Questions and answers

What is PineDrama?

PineDrama is an app launched by TikTok in January 2026 in the US and Brazil that offers one-minute vertical episodes for free with no ads or paywalls.