Viu launches vertical drama format

PCCW’s video streaming service Viu has launched a vertical video section, called Viu Shorts, on the mobile app. The new micro-drama vertical content aims to complement the streamer’s offering of long-form series and movies.

“We are thrilled to add a new facet to our service with the launch of Viu Shorts,” says Janice Lee, Viu CEO and PCCW Media Group MD. “This new feature brings viewers fast-paced storytelling in a 1–3 minute episodic format, perfectly complementing Viu’s extensive offering of premium long-form series and movies. With these bite-sized dramas now part of our offering, we aim to engage our audience according to their content preferences and provide enjoyable viewing for every moment.”

The launch of Viu Shorts follows recent content additions on the platform, including Korean dramas dubbed in isiZulu and a broader catalogue of Asian series.

The streamer provides the following key features for Viu Shorts:

• Multi-lingual and multi-genre library: Viu Shorts features a diverse and expanding selection of micro-dramas in Chinese, Korean, Thai, and Indonesian. The library spans popular genres including romance, thriller, variety, and fantasy. Subtitles in local languages are supported.
• Optimised for mobile: Purpose-built for vertical, bite-sized viewing, the Shorts section is seamlessly integrated into the Viu app. A new bottom navigation bar allows users to switch effortlessly between short-form content and Viu’s full library of premium, standard-length series and movies.
• Freemium access model: Viu Shorts is available to all Viu users. Subscribers enjoy unlimited access to the full micro-drama library, and free users can watch selected content. Ads may vary by subscription tier.
• Diverse content partnerships: Viu has collaborated with leading micro-drama distributors Rising Joy and KT Studiogenie, as well as renowned producers, including China Huace, 1001 Frames and Youhug Media, ensuring a steady pipeline of high-quality content.

Viu Shorts aims to reinforce Viu’s mobile-first strategy, catering to the growing appetite for short-form, on-the-go entertainmentwhile maintainingquality.

Featured titles on Viu include:

• Pear Perfect (Modern drama): Follows Shen Qingli whose life is upended by a family tragedy that leaves her financially ruined. She becomes entangled with Gu Heng, a public playboy secretly investigating a human trafficking ring, drawing her into Beijing’s criminal underworld while uncovering hidden connections and past secrets.
• The Most Painful Kiss In The World (Romance, fantasy, family drama): Centres on a woman who can absorb others’ pain through touch. After being abandoned by her unfaithful husband, she begins a new path that leads her towards unexpected relationships and a redefined sense of purpose.
• My Husband Murdered Me (Drama, revenge): Tells the story of Hyang mi who learns her husband destroyed their family to pursue another relationship. She partners with a mysterious stranger to plan an elaborate act of revenge that tests loyalty and moral limits.
• Becoming the Wife of a Dark Cult Overlord (Thriller, romance, occult): Focuses on a woman drawn into the inner circle of a secretive cult where she becomes the wife of its leader. As she navigates this dangerous environment, she uncovers hidden power structures and personal stakes tied to survival and control.

* The free Viu app is available to download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.