An Article by Salomé Hembert in Le Figaro about Duanju

When a major mainstream outlet turns its attention to the duanju phenomenon, it’s often to treat it as a curiosity. But the Figaro article of October 12, 2025, signed by Salomé Hembert, deserves a closer look as much for what it reveals as for what it leaves out. In 2024, actor Thierry Lhermitte joked that a scathing piece in Le Monde or Libération usually meant box-office success was near. Reading Le Figaro’s article, it’s hard not to think of that old rule. The text checks all the boxes of a classic skeptical take on a popular trend.

On the French side, reducing the nascent Story TV platform to a few unfavorable figures doesn't tell the whole story. The data chosen is partial and, above all, doesn't take into account the multiplatform reality where attention is at stake today. Every month, French accounts that publish vertical fiction unleash waves of views (in the millions), shares, and comments.

What the paper also omits is that this format allows creatives to regain control of the social media algorithm by prioritizing staging, actors, and writing, rather than allowing videos without direction, without performers, and without narrative to flourish.

The article also fails to mention that screenings have brought together professionals in France, and that international meetings are multiplying around these formats. Screenwriters, producers, and broadcasters are testing, debating, and iterating. This network of initiatives already constitutes a signal.

Another missing angle: narrative grammar. Right from the title, the article compares duanju to the soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful” “on steroids,” immediately framing the subject as a televised soap opera rather than a native mobile format. Judging the format by the yardstick of a classic TV soap opera is like accusing haiku of not being a sonnet.

The article also overlooks the true richness of the format. Looking closer, one finds subtle creations sometimes historical, fantastical, social, or comedic. The duanju is not just a caricature of fast fiction.

On the public policy front, one significant detail is missing. In July, during a trip to Asia, Gaëtan Bruel, the newly appointed president of France’s CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée) mentioned the format. Since then, silence. Rather than encouraging demanding content for young audiences, the debate has focused primarily on the general dangers of screens. We can want to protect and, at the same time, stimulate the creation of relevant, structured, and visible stories.

A useful reminder about the economics of cinema. If everyone, including demanding audiences, can still get a seat at the cinema at a reasonable price, it's because popular films fill the majority of theaters and drive the economy of the entire industry. Their millions of admissions cushion risks, fuel financing mechanisms, and allow more fragile works to exist. The audiovisual sector remains an industry. Without these mass successes, the price of an auteur film would climb, and many projects would never see the light of day. In other words, popular films finance cinema films. Rather than pitting these worlds against each other, let's recognize this industrial and cultural solidarity.

And now? We can debate duanju versus TV or cinema, or look at what viewers are already choosing. And why not, dear colleague of Le Figaro, come and take a closer look at what you haven't told us.

Article written by Guillaume Sanjorge

#GuillaumeSanjorge

Source

• Le Figaro , October 12, 2025

• MSN , October 12, 2025