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The domestic drama market is facing a severe slump due to soaring production costs and reduced broadcasting schedules. As the number of productions has sharply declined, even lead actors, supporting actors with strong acting skills, and "actor-idols" are finding it difficult to secure their next projects, often resulting in long gaps of one to two years. In contrast, the global media market is moving in the opposite direction. Immersive formats such as short-form content and ad-based free streaming (FAST) have established themselves as new growth engines, and in Hollywood, established actors are now entering the short-form stage, with dedicated award ceremonies being held.
However, in Korea, short-form dramas are still largely viewed as a "B-grade platform only for faded celebrities or unknown newcomers." To break this prejudice, a startup is targeting overseas markets with authentic K-drama storytelling and a disruptive subscription business model (BM). We spoke with Lee Kyung-gyu, ADJi Keom-peo-ni (CEO), who leads the global K-microdrama platform 'SoonShot' alongside multinational talents from Canada, Brazil, Spain, Indonesia, and other countries, to learn about the company's breakthrough strategy.
SoonShot is rapidly attracting global users through a strategy that excludes domestic services and focuses exclusively on overseas markets. Currently, the United States accounts for 60% of revenue, but the platform has expanded its territory from Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Mexico to cover all Spanish-speaking regions. Cumulative users surged from 150,000 at the end of last year to 1.15 million in just over eight months. This means more than one million overseas users have joined SoonShot this year alone.
SoonShot's core weapon is "viewing data" that analyzes user emotional engagement and payment drop-off points on a per-episode basis of one to two minutes. Existing Chinese-owned platforms like ReelShort and DramaBox force sensational melodrama content such as affairs, obsession, and revenge into one-minute segments, structured around a "pay-per-view" model similar to webtoons. The cost to complete an entire series exceeds the monthly subscription fee for Netflix, leading to high user churn and making regular subscriptions structurally impossible.
In contrast, SoonShot's data analysis revealed that what truly drives global audiences to pay is not sensationalism but authentic K-romance where the emotional connection between male and female leads remains vivid. The platform has built loyal viewing habits by regularly scheduling a verified, narrative-driven 50-episode drama every Thursday.
The revenue model is a "subscription plan" priced at $9.9 per month or $39 annually. Although cheaper than the annual payment of Chinese-owned platforms (approximately $120), the strategy aims to maximize revenue by significantly improving user retention rates.
Lee (CEO) emphasized, "Charging users a toll fee that squeezes them out episode by episode may work once but will not succeed twice." He added, "SoonShot is not designed around how much money can be extracted in a month, but rather focuses on cumulative revenue generated as users stay for one to two years."
Actual metrics confirm the success of this strategy. More than half of all active paid users have opted for annual subscriptions, paying upfront for a full year. Among users who converted to payment, 48% completed their transaction within one hour of first viewing, and 77% finished payment on the same day. The monthly subscription retention rate, combining both monthly and annual plans, has remained around 70% for three consecutive months, exceeding 80% in the United States, where purchasing power is highest. The average user session time also reaches 26 minutes.
The payback period for customer acquisition costs is approximately 1.8 months in Brazil, 2.2 months in the Philippines, and 2.3 months in the United States—all within roughly two months. SoonShot is concentrating its efforts on the United States, which accounts for 60% of revenue, and Brazil, where recovery speed is fastest. In Brazil, the company is launching aggressive online and offline campaigns, including utilizing over 2,000 subway screen displays in São Paulo and a network of 1,000 beauty salon screens across 66 cities (generating 19 million monthly impressions).
Based on the validation of its subscription business model and growth in global metrics, SoonShot recently completed a pre-Series A funding round, raising approximately 3 billion won.
After experiencing trial and error during the early stages of its service, including testing variety formats, SoonShot standardized its genre to "100% authentic drama." Lee (CEO) explained, "Variety shows can be watched for free on YouTube and other platforms, and their narrative grammar differs. The core motivation that drives global users to willingly open their wallets is the authentic K-drama narrative that fully embodies Korean sensibilities and lifestyles."
The industry's chronic challenge of "casting bottlenecks" has been resolved through a practical production system. The psychological barriers that led mini-series lead and supporting actors, as well as actor-idols, to avoid short-form appearances have been overcome by offering a "6-episode short-term shoot (approximately one to two weeks)" and a "short-form-long-form crossover model." Actors can now participate without burden during their gaps between projects, securing substantial profits while maintaining continuous activity.
To enhance content quality, SoonShot is also collaborating with terrestrial broadcasting production companies. The platform has signed a joint production agreement for five original dramas with Studio S, a drama production company under the SBS Media Group. Starting with the popular drama "Thirty but Seventeen," starring Shin Hye-sun, Yang Se-jong, and Ahn Hyo-seop, SoonShot plans to sequentially release high-quality short-form dramas by leveraging SBS's verified major intellectual property (IP) and production personnel.
Lee (CEO) stressed, "We have created a virtuous cycle where directors of long-form dramas direct short-form content during their gaps between projects, dramatically improving the quality of their works." He added, "Instead of sensational revenge melodramas, we maintain an authentic romance tone that highlights the delicate emotional lines between male and female leads, ensuring this also serves as a definite plus for actors' careers."
The strongest incentive SoonShot offers to actors is "building overseas fandoms." Even if they are not lead actors in major global OTT (online video service) productions, participating through SoonShot allows them to immediately gain global recognition and copyright influence by targeting international fan communities.
In fact, the romance drama "The Concubine's Secret," starring idol-turned-actor Cha Jun-ho, topped the SoonShot platform rankings and was subsequently used as the main creative for large-scale outdoor advertising on São Paulo subway stations in Brazil, rapidly expanding its local fandom. This goes beyond simple streaming, effectively serving as a foothold for actors' overseas management.
Partnerships with major production companies are also expanding. SoonShot has strengthened exclusive licensing agreements with Fan Entertainment and Showbox's short-form label 'Showbite.' The company has secured global exclusive distribution rights for two titles: Showbite's new work "The God of Death" and the action drama "After I Quit My Job, the Top Star Obsessed With Me," starring Lee Sang-yup. Currently distributing around 70 titles, SoonShot plans to significantly increase its library to 200 titles by next year.
Features that transform viewing experiences into interactive (two-way) engagement are already operational within the platform. These include an in-house "Remix" tool that allows users to convert desired segments during viewing into memes or shorts for real-time sharing on TikTok and Reels, as well as an AI character chat function enabling real-time communication with the protagonist in the drama. The company plans to establish a transparent settlement system to fairly distribute additional revenue generated from these features among actors and production teams.
Lee (CEO) stated, "For production companies and actors seeking new avenues amid reduced drama scheduling by domestic broadcasters, short-form content represents the most realistic and powerful global stepping stone." He further announced, "We aim to transform the global content market by evolving into a fandom participation platform that extends beyond simple viewing to include meme virality, character chats, and overseas fan meetings."
[MoneyToday startup media platform Unicorn Factory]
in FUTURE
