Singapore’s RisingJoy launches micro content platform RJoy in US, Japan

Singapore-based micro entertainment company RisingJoy has launched RJoy, a direct-to-consumer streaming service for microdramas, initially available to audiences in the US and Japan via TikTok Minis, the in-app feature that allows users to access vertical content.

The Substitute Bride’s Secret Wonderland

The service launches with 20 RJoy originals scheduled for release in the second half of 2026, spanning genres including what the company described as “AI anime” and “AI human” formats.

Titles available immediately include anime series Addicted to the Dark Boss and Hide My Secret in the Moonlight, both adapted from existing microdramas, alongside AI human titles The Substitute Bride’s Secret Wonderland and Blind Spoiled, and original fantasy anime Locked Away, I Became Unbreakable.

Cassandra Yang, chief executive and co-founder of RisingJoy, announced the launch at the APOS conference in Bali.

She said: “RJoy is the natural next step for RisingJoy. In just a short time since our launch, we have curated some of the world’s best microdrama content and building the distribution relationships to match. RJoy brings that together in a direct-to-consumer experience, backed by partners who share our belief that micro entertainment is one of the most significant content opportunities of this generation.”

The choice of launch markets reflects the commercial weight of both territories in the global microdrama sector. The US accounts for nearly half of all global microdrama in-app purchase revenue outside China, while Japan ranks second worldwide.

RisingJoy, which operates a content licensing and distribution business spanning more than 30 countries and 50 platforms, said the launch of RJoy marks a further step in its development as a full-service micro entertainment studio, with original IP and coproduction at the centre of its next phase of growth.

Cassandra Yang

The microdrama format – serialised vertical video content built for mobile screens, typically running to episodes of between 30 seconds and three minutes – has grown from a niche Chinese phenomenon into one of the most commercially significant sectors in global entertainment. China’s microdrama revenues climbed from US$500m in 2021 to US$7bn in 2024, surpassing the country’s entire domestic theatrical box office in 2025.

The pace of new platform launches has accelerated sharply in 2025 and 2026 as established media companies move to capture the opportunity. In August 2025, Cineverse and Lloyd Braun’s Banyan Ventures formed a joint venture to launch MicroCo, billed as the first US-based studio and AI-native platform built specifically for the format, with former Showtime president Jana Winograde named co-founder and chief executive.

India has seen particularly intense activity. Zee5 launched its microdrama vertical Bullet in July 2025, Balaji Telefilms launched Kutting in January 2026, Amazon launched Fatafat in March 2026 and JioHotstar debuted Tadka in April 2026.

Tadka attracted 100 million users within two months of launch and India’s microdrama market, currently valued at US$300m, is projected to grow to US$4.5bn by 2030, with the category described by investment firm Lumikai as the country’s fastest-growing entertainment format.