In the first half of 2026, China's AI drama and animated-drama market hit RMB 22 billion, with Douyin adding 221,900 AI dramas and animated dramas in six months—roughly one every 13 minutes. Distilleries including Huanggou, Guangliang, Wuliangye, Hainan Coconut Island, and Pagoda Brand have all jumped into AI short dramas. But behind the hype, AI only lowers the barrier to making a drama; what decides whether audiences stay hooked is still the content itself. The real test for distilleries is turning the people who watched the drama into their own members—delivering follow-through and accumulating user assets through a "content–consumer–data" triple loop.
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