China's broadcast regulator licensed 158 microdramas in the third quarter
An NRTA notice lists distribution licences issued from July to September 2026: 158 domestic microdramas with 5,369 episodes, and 180 online animations.
What this basis means: Regulatory filing, government body, court or industry association.
China's National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) issued distribution licences for 158 domestic microdramas, totalling 5,369 episodes, from July to September 2026, according to a notice signed on 23 October and posted on 29 October 2026. The same notice covers 180 online animations with 1,731 episodes.
By theme, the largest groups of licensed microdramas were urban (38), legend (24), other (24), revolutionary (20) and police (18).
The notice is a periodic statistical release and does not change the licensing rules. The licence count covers titles that went through NRTA's distribution-licence procedure, which is a subset of all microdramas released in China.
Sources
- 国家广播电视总局办公厅关于2026年7月至9月全国国产微短剧、网络动画片发行许可情况的通告 (opens in a new tab) National Radio and Television Administration
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