The Zhitong Finance App learned that on July 31, the State Administration of Radio and Television officially announced Order No. 16 “Administrative Measures on the Development of Short Dramas”. The “Measures” were reviewed and approved by the State Administration of Radio and Television on July 27, 2026, and will take effect from September 1, 2026. The new regulations first clearly define the scope of short dramas: series with a single episode of less than 20 minutes in length, with a consistent and complete plot, covering all terminals such as mobile phones, televisions, car screens, smart wearables, etc., and all broadcast channels such as applets, short video platforms, IPTV, and cable TV are managed uniformly. In terms of broadcast requirements, the new regulations classify short dramas into one category of short dramas, type two short dramas, and three types of short short dramas according to investment amount, subject matter, etc., and implement a filing, publicity, and distribution license system.
The original text is as follows:
State Administration of Radio and Television Order No. 16:
“Management Measures for the Development of Short Dramas”
The “Administrative Measures on the Development of Short Dramas” were reviewed and approved by the Board of the State Administration of Radio and Television on July 27, 2026. They are now being announced and will take effect from September 1, 2026.
Management Measures for the Development of Short Dramas
Chapter I General Provisions
Article 1. These Measures are formulated in accordance with relevant national regulations in order to further promote short dramas, expand new popular literature and art under Internet conditions, and promote the healthy development of short dramas.
Article 2. A short drama referred to in these Regulations refers to a series with a single episode duration of less than 20 minutes, a clear theme line, a continuous and complete storyline, and outstanding characters.
Within the People's Republic of China, these Measures apply to short dramas broadcast to the public through broadcast channels such as Internet websites, Internet applications and distribution platforms, radio and television channels, Internet television, interactive network television (IPTV), cable television, etc., using televisions, mobile phones, tablets, computers, public electronic screens, smart (wearable) and in-vehicle devices as receiving terminals.
Article 3. The creation and broadcast of short dramas shall abide by the Constitution, laws, and administrative regulations. We should adhere to the correct political direction, public opinion orientation, and value orientation. We should insist on serving the people and serving socialism, putting social benefits first, and unifying social benefits with economic benefits. Originality should be respected, copyright protected, fair competition, and standardized development.
Article 4 The competent radio and television department under the State Council shall be responsible for the management of the national short drama industry, formulate overall development plans and management policies for the national short drama industry, coordinate the construction of national short drama content, industry management, industry development and safety supervision, carry out micro-drama planning and broadcast regulation, guide the formation of an industry ecosystem of integrity and innovation, healthy, orderly and fair competition, and promote the standardized and prosperous development of the short short drama industry.
The competent radio and television departments of the people's governments of the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government are responsible for managing short dramas within their administrative regions, formulating development plans and actually promoting industrial development in line with the work of the region, and guiding the radio and television departments of local people's governments at or above the county level that are in a position to do so to cooperate in carrying out the development and supervision of the short drama industry within their jurisdiction.
Article 5. Short dramas are divided into one category of short dramas, type two short dramas, and three types of short dramas according to the amount of investment, subject matter, etc., and the classification shall be subject to a filing, publicity and distribution license system.
A type of short drama refers to a short drama with a large investment amount or a special theme (hereinafter referred to as a special subject) involving politics, military affairs, diplomacy, national security, United Front, nation, religion, administration of justice, public security, etc. Type II short dramas refer to short dramas with a relatively small investment amount and general themes. The three types of short dramas refer to short dramas with a low investment amount and general themes. The classification standards are formulated by the competent radio and television department under the State Council, and adjusted in due course according to the actual situation of industry development.
Article 6 encourages innovation in artistic expression, communication methods, application of new technology, and business models for short dramas.
Encourage and support the public to participate in the creation of short dramas, and stimulate the innovative and creative vitality of short dramas as a new form of popular literature and art under the Internet conditions.
Encourage and support the creation and broadcast of outstanding short dramas. The competent radio and television departments of the people's governments at or above the county level provide the necessary convenience and assistance for short drama creators to go deep into the grassroots level, reach out to the public, and experience life in accordance with the needs of short drama creation. The competent radio and television departments of the people's governments at or above the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government provide necessary support for the launch of short dramas included in key support.
Article 7 encourages the combination of short dramas with various fields and industries of the economy and society to form new application scenarios, business models, and economic formats, and promote short dramas to empower thousands of industries.
Article 8 supports the creation, production and dissemination of export-oriented short dramas, facilitates the participation of foreign creators in the creation of short skits, and supports simultaneous broadcasting of outstanding short dramas at home and abroad. Encourage and support the short drama industry to carry out equal and mutually beneficial international exchanges and cooperation, and promote cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and foreign countries.
Article 9 The competent radio and television department shall, in accordance with the relevant national regulations on awards and merit, give commendations and rewards to outstanding short dramas and organizations, institutions and individuals that have made outstanding contributions to the development of short dramas, guide the formation of a social environment that respects creativity and respects creation, and create an atmosphere where the whole society cares about and supports the development of short skits.
Article 10. Intellectual property rights relating to short dramas are protected by law, and no organization or individual may infringe upon them.
Organizations and individuals engaged in short drama activities should enhance their intellectual property awareness and enhance their ability to create, use, protect, manage and service intellectual property rights. Encourage the industry to innovate copyright service models. Work with relevant departments to improve the copyright protection system for short dramas.
Article 11 Social organizations such as the Internet Audiovisual Program Service Association shall carry out self-regulation of the short drama industry in accordance with their statutes and carry out work under the guidance of the competent radio and television departments.
Chapter II: Public Notice of Filing
Article 12 A filing and publicity system shall be implemented for the filming and production of Class I short dramas. For the filming and production of Class II short dramas, the filing and publicity system for Class 1 short dramas may be applied by reference.
Production agencies shall apply to the competent radio and television departments of the people's governments at or above the province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government before filming or producing a type of short drama.
Article 13 The competent radio and television department under the State Council shall be responsible for filing and publicizing the filming and production of Class I short dramas and Class II short dramas with the agencies directly reporting to the competent radio and television department under the State Council (hereinafter referred to as the direct reporting agency) in accordance with relevant regulations, as well as the publication of the filming and production of Class I short dramas throughout the country.
The competent radio and television department under the State Council may entrust the competent radio and television departments of the people's governments of the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government to carry out the filing of direct reporting agencies for the filming and production of Class I and Class II short dramas.
The competent radio and television departments of the people's governments of the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government are responsible for reviewing the filing of Class I and Class II short dramas filmed or produced by production agencies within the administrative area or commissioned by the competent radio and television department under the State Council. Class I short dramas are reviewed and reported to the competent radio and television department under the State Council for publication. Class II short dramas may refer to these Measures to formulate implementation rules for filing and publicity within this administrative region, and the rules shall follow the rules for the creation and production of short dramas.
Article 14 The agency applying for the filing and publication of a type of short drama shall be a production agency holding a “Radio and Television Program Production and Operation License” or a radio and television broadcasting organization established by law. When applying, you should submit materials such as the “Short Drama Filing and Publication Application Form” and a synopsis of the plot.
The competent radio and television department of the people's government at or above the province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government reviews the application materials and shall seek the opinions of the relevant competent departments or relevant parties if the competent radio and television department of the people's government at or above the province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government deems it necessary.
The competent radio and television department under the State Council reviews application materials reviewed by the competent radio and television departments of the people's governments at or above the province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government and then publishes them on the Internet. The contents of the announcement include: title of the play, production agency, etc.
Article 15. If the content of a short drama applied for filing and publication violates these Measures, it shall not be publicized.
Article 16 A production agency shall film and produce a type of short drama according to the content of the filing.
If a production agency changes the position of the main characters or the overall direction of the story of a type of short drama that has already been publicized, it shall re-carry out the filing procedure in accordance with these Measures; if the title of the drama or production agency is changed, it shall be reported to the competent radio and television department of the people's government at or above the province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government of the filing to complete the relevant change procedures.
Chapter III: Approval of Audit
Article 17 Before broadcasting, first-class short dramas and second-class short dramas that have been filmed and produced shall apply to the competent radio and television department of the people's government at or above the province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government for content review and distribution permission. For short dramas that have been reviewed and approved, the competent radio and television departments of the people's governments at or above the province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government issue a “short drama distribution license”. Approval documents are issued by the competent radio and television departments of the people's governments of the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government for approval. Eligible broadcast units perform content management duties for the three types of short dramas, conduct pre-broadcast reviews, and mark program numbers.
The “Short Drama Distribution License” is uniformly printed by the competent radio and television department under the State Council. The numbering rules for approval documents for type II short dramas shall be uniformly formulated by the competent radio and television department under the State Council.
Short dramas that have not obtained a “Short Drama Distribution License” and approval documents in accordance with the provisions of these Measures, and short dramas that have not been reviewed and marked with a program number by the broadcasting unit shall not be broadcast or participate in the awards.
Article 18 The competent radio and television department under the State Council shall be responsible for reviewing the first-class short dramas and second-class short dramas filmed and produced by the reporting agency.
The competent radio and television department under the State Council may entrust the competent radio and television departments of the people's governments of the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government to review first-class short dramas and second-class short dramas filmed and produced by the reporting agency.
The competent radio and television departments of the people's governments of the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government are responsible for reviewing Class I and Class II short dramas filmed and produced by production agencies within their administrative regions, as well as Class I and Class II short dramas commissioned and reviewed by the competent radio and television department under the State Council.
Article 19 For short dramas of the first category to be submitted for review, an application shall be submitted to the radio and television administration department of the people's government at or above the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government, and the following materials shall be submitted:
(1) “A Kind of Short Drama Report Review Form”;
(2) “Radio and Television Program Production and Operation License” or “Radio and Television Broadcasting Organization License”;
(3) Samples of images, sounds, subtitles, time codes, etc. that meet the audit requirements;
(4) A list of subtitles for the beginning, end, and song;
(5) A copy of the approval document for the radio and television department agreeing to hire overseas personnel to participate in the production of short dramas.
If the competent radio and television department of the people's government at or above the province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government deems it necessary, it shall seek opinions from the relevant competent authorities or relevant parties.
Article 20 The competent radio and television department of the people's government at or above the province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government shall make a decision to approve or disallow permission within 20 days from the date of acceptance of the application for a type of short drama. Among these, the period for organizing expert reviews is 10 days. Where permission is granted, a “Short Drama Distribution License” shall be issued to the applicant; if permission is not granted, the applicant shall be notified in writing and the reasons shall be explained; if amendments are required, the applicant shall be notified in writing of the amendments, and the applicant shall be re-submitted for review after the amendments are completed.
Article 21 Where an application has been made to the competent radio and television department for review, and the distribution license has not been obtained or has not been granted, the submitting agency shall not transfer it to another competent radio and television department for review.
Article 22 The competent radio and television department under the State Council may, in accordance with the needs of the public interest, make decisions ordering revisions, cessation of broadcasting, or refusing distribution, promotion, merit evaluation, or participation in international exchanges.
Article 23 The department in charge of radio and television shall regularly announce to the public the issuance of the “Short Short Drama Distribution License” for a type of short drama.
Article 24 The competent radio and television departments of the people's governments at or above the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government shall review and approve Class II short dramas in accordance with these Measures, and are encouraged to optimize the review process, simplify application materials, and increase the timeliness of approval in accordance with the actual situation in the region.
Chapter IV Standards and Specifications
Article 25: Short dramas must not contain the following content:
(1) Violating the basic principles established by the Constitution, inciting resistance to or undermining the implementation of the Constitution, laws, administrative regulations and rules;
(2) Endangering national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, divulging national secrets, endangering national security, harming national dignity, honor and interests, and promoting terrorism and extremism;
(3) Inciting ethnic hatred or ethnic discrimination, infringing on national customs and customs, distorting national history or historical figures, hurting national feelings, and undermining national unity;
(4) Discrediting outstanding traditional Chinese culture, distorting and denying revolutionary culture and advanced socialist culture, promoting cultural nihilism and historical nihilism, and demonizing and blaspheming the deeds and spirits of heroes and martyrs;
(5) Inciting the destruction of national religious policies and promoting cults and superstitions;
(6) Infringe on the legal rights and interests of minors or endanger the physical and mental health of minors;
(7) Insulting or slandering others or spreading others' privacy, harming the legitimate rights and interests of others or the public interest;
(8) Promoting damage to ecological environment protection and endangering public health;
(9) Promoting obscenity, gambling, drug addiction, money worship, extravagance, discrimination based on race, nationality, region, gender, occupation, physical and mental impairment, and other content that harms social morality and violates public order and morals;
(10) Disseminating false information, portraying violence, terror, instigating crime or teaching criminal methods, and other content that disrupts social order;
(11) Other content prohibited by law, administrative regulations, and rules.
Article 26. Titles, lines, subtitles, etc. of short dramas shall meet the following requirements:
(1) Comply with the “National Common Language and Script Law of the People's Republic of China” and related laws and regulations, and use the common language and script of the country as the basic term. Indeed, due to artistic needs, dialects can be used;
(2) The common language and script of the country used shall conform to the relevant national norms and standards;
(3) Relevant special logos, call signs, titles, and terms shall be subject to the clear usage of relevant national laws and regulations;
(4) Add Chinese subtitles to foreign language song lyrics, foreign language titles and lines, foreign language vocabulary and signs with specific meanings, etc.
Article 27: Information labeling for short dramas shall meet the following requirements:
(1) The title of the film shall be clearly marked with the title of the play, license number, approval document number, and program number. The display method can be presented separately or integrated with the plot according to the total length, plot setting and transmission characteristics of a specific type of short drama.
(2) The signatures of the screenwriter, director, etc. shall be placed prominently in the subtitles at the beginning of the first episode or the end of the last episode.
Article 28. Information on the promotion of short dramas shall be compatible with the content of short dramas, and content that violates the provisions of Articles 25 and 26 of these Measures shall not appear.
Chapter 5 Broadcast Requirements
Article 29 A short drama broadcasting unit shall obtain the qualification to engage in the corresponding business of radio, television or online audiovisual program services in accordance with law.
Article 30 The competent radio and television department under the State Council shall carry out macro-control over the proportion, timing, time period, and key recommendations for broadcasting short dramas.
Article 31. Class I short dramas and type 2 short dramas shall be broadcast in accordance with the approved content. Encourage priority broadcasting of short dramas that have obtained the “Short Drama Distribution License” and approval documents.
Article 32: Short drama broadcasting units shall establish and implement a content responsibility system for editor-in-chief, establish and improve review and control mechanisms and a traceability mechanism for the entire content safety process. The editor-in-chief is fully responsible for the quality of the short drama content. The selection of the editor-in-chief shall meet the relevant requirements of the competent radio and television departments and report to the competent radio and television departments of the State Council and the people's governments of the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government.
Article 33: Short drama broadcasting units shall perform the following main responsibilities to ensure the standardized dissemination of short dramas:
(1) For Class I short dramas and Class II short dramas, their “Short Drama Distribution License” or approval documents shall be verified before broadcasting;
(2) For the three types of short dramas, reviews shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of these Measures, and the relevant repertoire information and program numbers shall be simultaneously reported online to the competent radio and television department; for the three types of short dramas that are not exclusively broadcast, the broadcasting unit shall mark the program number of the broadcasting unit according to the respective review version, and shall not use the program numbers of other broadcasting units;
(3) For online audiovisual content that is unprofessionally produced and has the characteristics of short dramas, short drama broadcasting units shall perform content management duties and improve content safety management measures such as information inspection and emergency response;
(4) Establish a credit evaluation system and implement key management for key accounts that distribute short dramas.
Article 34. For short dramas generated and produced using artificial intelligence technology, production agencies and broadcasting units shall abide by relevant national regulations and add reminder signs in prominent places in each episode in accordance with relevant regulations.
Article 35. Short drama broadcasting units shall re-review the three types of short dramas they re-broadcast in accordance with the review standards stipulated in these Measures.
Article 36 Short drama broadcasting units shall not provide services for short dramas that violate the provisions of Article 25 of these Measures, and shall immediately implement disposal measures such as stopping broadcasting, disconnecting links, going offline, and stopping access when problems are discovered.
Article 37 Short drama broadcasting units shall regularly review, evaluate, and verify the mechanisms, models, data, and application results of algorithms, giving priority to recommending high-quality short dramas, and shall not use algorithmic models that induce users to become addicted or consume excessively.
Article 38. Short drama broadcasting units shall carry out normalized inspections on the implementation of these Measures by content providers and promoters of short dramas, establish a hierarchical management system and exit mechanism based on indicators such as the number of content, number of users, and daily traffic, and adopt corresponding management measures to prevent content risks.
Article 39: Short drama broadcasting units shall perform data security protection obligations in accordance with relevant national regulations and in accordance with law.
Article 40 A short drama broadcasting unit shall, in accordance with relevant national regulations, sign user agreements with users registered on its platform to clarify the rights and obligations of both parties. Where paid content is provided, information relating to charges shall be clearly communicated to protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers in accordance with law.
Chapter VI: Supervision and Management
Article 41 The competent radio and television department shall carry out work such as supervision, inspection, emergency treatment, and administrative enforcement of short dramas in accordance with law and regulations.
Units that create, promote, and broadcast short dramas shall cooperate with the supervisory and administrative work carried out by the competent radio and television authorities in accordance with law.
Radio and television authorities shall disclose to the public how they receive reports, and after receiving reports, they shall deal with them in accordance with law.
Article 42 The competent radio and television department under the State Council shall guide radio and television authorities at all levels and industry groups such as the Internet Audiovisual Program Service Association to conduct training for short drama practitioners to improve their ability to review and control content.
Units that create, promote, and broadcast short dramas shall organize and carry out training for their practitioners.
Article 43. Units that create, promote, and broadcast short dramas shall cooperate with the competent radio and television departments to carry out statistical research work in accordance with law, consciously fulfill their legal statistical obligations, provide true, accurate, complete and timely statistics, and provide necessary support for radio and television authorities to carry out statistical analysis of data.
Chapter 7 Legal Liability
Article 44 Whoever violates these Measures and broadcasts short dramas without permission shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of Article 50 of the Radio and Television Administration Regulations.
Article 45 Whoever violates these Measures and produces, promotes, or broadcasts content prohibited by the provisions of Article 25 of these Measures shall be ordered by the competent radio and television department of the people's government at or above the provincial level to make corrections and may request the suspension of program content updates. If the circumstances are serious, they shall be punished in accordance with the provisions of Article 49 of the Radio and Television Administration Regulations.
Article 46 Whoever violates these Measures and fails to produce in accordance with the content that has been filed, broadcast or transferred for review in accordance with the license shall be ordered by the competent radio and television department of the people's government at or above the provincial level to issue a warning or notification of criticism, and may also be fined not more than 100,000 yuan.
Article 47 Where an administrative license is obtained by improper means such as deception or bribery, the administrative license shall be revoked.
Article 48. Staff members of the department in charge of radio and television who violate these Measures, abuse their authority, neglect their duties for personal gain and fraud, or fail to perform their duties in accordance with these Measures shall be punished according to law.
Article 49 Whoever conceals relevant information from the competent radio and television department responsible for supervision and administration, provides false material data, or refuses to provide material data, the competent radio and television department of the people's government at or above the county level shall order the correction and issue a warning or notification of criticism.
Chapter 8 Supplementary Provisions
Article 50. Where the standards for Class I or Class II short dramas stipulated in these Measures are voluntarily submitted, filed for publication and completed film review in accordance with the relevant administrative requirements of these Measures, they shall be carried out in accordance with the relevant administrative requirements of these Measures.
Article 51 The management of short dramas with major revolutionary themes and major historical themes shall be carried out in accordance with relevant national regulations.
Article 52. Cooperation between China and foreign countries in the production of short dramas and the introduction of short dramas from abroad shall be carried out in accordance with the relevant regulations of the competent radio and television department under the State Council.
For short dramas filmed domestically and used for broadcast abroad, the relevant provisions of these Measures relating to filing, publicity, review and approval shall apply.
Article 53 Where laws, administrative regulations, or State Council documents stipulate otherwise, their provisions shall apply.
Article 54: These Measures take effect on September 1, 2026.
This article was selected from the official website of the “State Administration of Radio and Television”. Zhitong Finance Editor: Jiang Yuanhua.