Tencent has quietly launched Green Bubble Short Dramas, a new mini-program within WeChat. Its slogan is “Free high-quality dramas, watch with one tap.” The market views the platform as a direct challenge to ByteDance’s successful Hongguo Short Dramas.
The move signals an effort by Tencent to capture more user screen time, a core asset in the internet industry. ByteDance and other platforms have seen explosive growth in daily active users, while Tencent is drawing on WeChat’s monthly active user base of 1.439 billion to defend and expand user engagement.
Tencent’s games and Channels video platform are established tools for retaining users. Green Bubble adds a new offering to its push for attention and highlights the growing importance of short-form dramas as a competitive arena for China’s internet giants.