A New Chinese App Addiction Hits America: ReelShort
A seismic shift just occurred in the world of mobile entertainment apps. A Chinese-made app called ReelShort has skyrocketed to the top 20 position on the US App Store, temporarily dethroning reigning king TikTok for the top spot. Over 11 million Americans have already downloaded this soap opera-style video app in the past 3 months.
ReelShort offers bite-sized scripted dramas tailored for middle aged women, the demographic glued to Hallmark films and daytime soaps. The production value screams direct-to-DVD, with absurd plots centered on marital affairs, family vengeance, and secret billionaires. Show titles include âSon-in-Lawâs Revenge,â âI Got Married Without You,â and âThe Double Life of My Billionaire Husband.â
During the pandemic, similar mobile âmicro-seriesâ apps took China by storm, filling the void of shuttered movie theaters amongst blue collar workers. ReelShort adapted many of these Chinese stories for American audiences.
The app pioneered an ingenious monetization model. Viewers can binge episodes for free alongside commercials. To unlock full seasons ad-free, users purchase virtual âcoinsâ at around $10-20 per series.
This microtransaction strategy has proven wildly lucrative. ReelShort has already generated $22 million in its first 3 months since launching in August 2022.
The company behind ReelShort is Beijing-based COL Group. They are astutely focused on the American market after many of its shows were banned in China for being too racy. According to The Economist, Chinese censors removed â1.4 million micro-series episodesâ across creators.
Like other Chinese apps that âconquered Americaâ – Shein, TikTok, Temu – ReelShort hides its Chinese background through an American studio subsidiary branded Crazy Maple. This white-labels the app as homegrown.
The content strikes a chord by leaning into tropes from a bygone era of entertainment. Picture the 1980s primetime soap era of âDallasâ and âDynastyâ updated with modern twists about polyamorous relationships and secret offspring.
As the shows are only 2 minutes long, there is no time for subtlety. Shocking revelations and overt seductions drive each episode. This fuels an addictive quality, with viewers always left hanging on cliffhangers perpetuating the next binge.
On ReelShortâs Youtube channel, comments gush about the steamy storylines. âThe chemistry they have,â Christine Joy remarks under series âThe Double Life of my Billionaire Husbandâ with heart emojis. âOh I watched this on Facebook,â Jolan Bongo explains. âI got hooked by it, I love the story and the cast.â
Western viewers clearly crave escapist, dramatic fare no matter the source or production value. The runaway success of ReelShort signals Chinese exporters have tapped into a profitable vein – serving up Hollywood-style entertainment to the underserved Hallmark demographic.
As one ReelShort show warns, when it comes to secret billionaires: never divorce. As for the app itself, America appears to be in a codependent relationship we wonât part from anytime soon.
Another Chinese Communist Party propaganda tool to support the destruction of the USA. The real soap operas are the real life torture of the Tibetians, Huygers, Fong Gong and anything that is not strictly Chinese. The ultimate goal is to subvert, divide, destroy, and erase ALL non-Chinese cultures (first on the list remains the USA).
Antireligious campaigns of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are a series of policies and practices, including the promotion of state atheism, coupled with its persecution of people with spiritual or religious beliefs, in the People’s Republic of China.[3][4][5] Antireligious campaigns were launched in 1949, after the Chinese Communist Revolution, and they continue to be waged against Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, and members of other religious communities in the 21st century.[6] State campaigns against religion have escalated since Xi Jinping became Chinese Communist Party general secretary in 2012.[7] For Christians, government decrees have mandated the widespread removal of crosses from churches, and in some cases, they have also mandated the destruction of houses of worship.[8][9] In Tibet, similar decrees have mandated the destruction of Tibetan Buddhist monastic centers, the destruction of sacred Buddhist sites, the destruction of monastic residences, the denial of the Tibetan people’s right to freely access their cultural heritage, the ongoing persecution of high Buddhist lamas, and the ongoing persecution of Buddhist nuns and monks.