When France discovers ReelShort

In january 2024, a name appeared in the columns of the French media: ReelShort. This application, already massively used in the United States and Asia, burst onto the French landscape as a curiosity, immediately dubbed the "TikTok of series".

A media storm

From La Montagne to Midi Libre, including Stratégies, France Info, La Dépêche, France Inter and Courrier International, all relayed the phenomenon. For many, it was about presenting the French public with a new way of consuming stories: vertical episodes of one to two minutes, designed to scroll on a smartphone, interspersed with advertisements.

Between fascination and skepticism

The tone of the articles oscillates between astonishment and caution. Some highlight the app's dazzling success, driven by massive downloads and colossal advertising budgets. Others point to its limited catalog, its formulaic plots, or its business model based on advertising and micropayments.

The tiktok of series

The term has become widely used. It clearly conveys the impression of a format designed to capture attention, somewhere between social media and serial fiction. This comparison with TikTok has undoubtedly facilitated the understanding of a phenomenon still little known to the general public in France: micro-drama, or duanju.

A revealing moment

ReelShort's entry into the French news marks a turning point: it's the first time that a format born from China's vertical miniseries culture has been covered in a coordinated manner by the national press. Behind the media curiosity lies a deeper shift: the realization that ultra-short mobile fiction is no longer an anecdote, but a new global narrative language.

Sources:

• La Dépêche , December 1, 2023

• Courrier International , January 27, 2023

• France Inter , January 1, 2024

• The Mountain , January 8, 2024

• Strategies , January 8, 2024

• France Info , January 10, 2024

• Midi Libre , January 10, 2024