BeLive Studios, NewUnivers and ChopChop Systems partnership
BeLive Studios, NewUnivers and ChopChop Systems have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding at ATF 2025, launching a long-term partnership to explore equity participation and co-produce over 50 microdrama titles within the next 12 months. The three companies aim to build a scalable global engine for premium short-form storytelling.
The agreement was initiated through Content IP Xcelerate, operated by KOCCA Singapore Business Centre, and officially announced during the Asia TV Forum in the presence of key industry and government representatives, highlighting the importance of this Korea–Singapore collaboration.
Microdramas are one of the world’s fastest-growing formats, with the global short drama market expected to surpass USD 11 billion in 2025. China alone is projected to exceed USD 9.4 billion, driven by mobile consumption and rapid production models. The partnership seeks to capitalize on this demand by combining creative, technological and distribution strengths.
BeLive brings expertise in OTT development, content production and distribution; NewUnivers contributes its microdrama production and content distribution capabilities; and ChopChop Systems provides workflow efficiency technology. Together, they plan to co-develop and co-produce microdramas across ideation, scripting, casting, production, post-production and distribution.
ChopChop’s workflow solutions will be integrated into BeLive’s and NewUnivers’ pipelines to accelerate production, while the partners also explore broader international distribution opportunities and building a B2B ecosystem supporting microdrama IP licensing.
Latif Sim, BeLive's Executive Director, said, "At BeLive Studios, micro dramas have become a core strength of our content innovation strategy. We are not only investing in the format but have already demonstrated our ability to deliver hits that resonate with audiences across key markets. Our team has produced a series of top performing micro drama titles, each achieving strong engagement and repeat viewership. These successes reflect the depth of our creative development process, our disciplined production workflows, and our storytelling capabilities. We are committed to setting the benchmark for premium short form narratives and enabling partners to scale compelling storytelling with confidence.”
Ryan Jeong, founder and CEO of NewUnivers, said, “Building on the massive global success of K-dramas, we are now pioneering a unique, high-quality success formula for K-microdramas, combining the microdrama format's growth potential, the proven production methodology of K-dramas, and our tech-driven, optimised content generation system. Global interest is already high, with numerous inquiries from microdrama platforms for collaboration. We are confident that 2026 will be a year of dramatic growth.”
Kevin Ho, ChopChop Systems’ Founder and CEO, said, “When we talk to our partners in the microdrama space, we're seeing rising demand, higher volumes and tighter deadlines. What ChopChop does is help producers meet those deadlines without sacrificing their weekends. Because we've all been there! Every member of our team has production experience, and we've used that to build workflow solutions that save producers hundreds of hours every year. We are very excited to apply this proven expertise to our partners' unique workflows, powering their content creation and setting a new global standard for efficient microdrama production.”
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