GBA Ultra-HD Digital Innovation Park
As content value is redefined, mini series are reshaping China's audiovisual economy with unstoppable momentum. From quantitative surge to qualitative leap, the mini series-driven economic model has crossed a critical threshold. How did this once-niche format vault from the fringes to a mainstream economic unit, expanding nearly 185-fold and generating 647,000 jobs in just four years?
Behind the exponential rise is a virtuous cycle driven by multi-stakeholder collaboration. In recent years, the National Radio and Television Administration has guided creative trends through a cascade of policies; capital inflows have sparked a dual revolution of free-to-watch models and technological innovation; and premium content is transforming mini series from hook-driven formats into a robust "mini series+" ecosystem.
Lightweight in form yet heavyweight in value, these kinds of "digital pickles" are fast becoming a substantial "mental feast." As free-to-watch models gain dominance, a new mini series economy is incubating higher-quality content. According to industry insiders, when technology lowers production barriers and capital inflates market expectations, sustainable growth hinges on internalizing public ethics as professional standards. Only by using premium content to fuel a virtuous cycle—and free models to restructure the mini series economy—can this multibillion-yuan industry endure.
Mini series are adding new dimensions to the IP value chain, while the broader ecosystem is reshaping industrial clusters. Driven by the dual engines of policy and market, the sector is evolving from scattered nodes into interconnected ecosystems. In 2025, multiple cities are developing industry ecosystems through institutional innovation, infrastructure upgrades, and cross-regional collaboration—spawning a hybrid economic model that fuses culture, technology, and consumer engagement.
Consider the GBA Ultra-HD Digital Innovation Park in Shenzhen's Longgang District. Operated by a joint venture between Shenzhen Media Group, BEXTA Advertising Holdings, and the National Innovation Center for UHD Video Technology, it embodies a trinity of government, enterprise, and research—offering fertile ground for mini series production. Park executives told Southern Finance that its on-site facilities—including post-production centers, makeup rooms, conference venues, and more—support a wide range of production scenarios, making it a one-stop content hub. Mini series companies have already settled in and begun filming there.
Growth fueled by industry clusters is creating a diverse array of new career opportunities—from screenwriters, content strategists, and copyright managers to line producers, directors, actors, cinematographers, gaffers, makeup stylists, costume designers, set runners, video editors, distribution specialists, ad sales representatives, translators, and software engineers. This expanding occupational landscape not only widens employment across the audiovisual sector but also opens new pathways for traditional film and television professionals to reinvent their careers.
The mini series industry offers not only high-paying jobs but also promising career trajectories. On Douyin, China's leading short video platform, mini series actors have collectively amassed over 100 million followers. More than 80 performers have fan bases exceeding 100,000, and some have garnered over 100 million views.
