Timothy Oh, GM of COL: Microdrama is Not a Trend, it’s a Behavioral Shift
Microdramas are changing the way the world watches, turning vertical storytelling into a global phenomenon. Timothy Oh, GM of COL Group International, is leading the charge, scaling the company’s slate to over 1,700 titles and helping partners unlock new audiences, markets, and monetization strategies. In this interview with TVBIZZ's Yako Molhov, he shares why microdramas are resonating far beyond China, how COL balances scale with quality, and which regions and innovations are shaping the future of mobile-first storytelling.
Timothy Oh, GM of COL
Timohy, microdramas have been the hottest trend in content production and distribution in the past year. To what do you attribute their huge success beyond China?
I see microdrama as a natural evolution of how we already consume content.We have been watching vertically since the first iPhone. Instagram, Stories, TikTok. Vertical video has dominated attention, but it was mostly creator driven. Traditional entertainment brands used vertical mainly for marketing, not as a primary storytelling format.
What microdrama did was take vertical seriously. Our first screen today is the phone. Attention spans are shorter. People want stories that are immediate, emotional and easy to consume in short bursts. Microdramas are built exactly for that. Vertical framing, strong hooks, simple but powerful conflicts, very relatable characters.
China proved the model at scale. The US showed it could travel. Now it is just a matter of time before it becomes more global. When behavior shifts, content eventually follows.
COL has scaled its international slate from 1,000 to more than 1,700 titles in under a year. What operational changes were required to support this level of expansion while maintaining quality?
The biggest shift was mindset. There are many players who simply resell content. Their goal is to move titles. Our goal is to help partners build sustainable vertical businesses.
That means we are not just handing over a catalogue. We are helping partners reduce experimentation risk. We know what works. We know what does not. We guide them on curation, monetization approach, market fit and rollout strategy.
Ironically, having the largest organized catalogue actually allows us to curate more carefully. We can match titles very specifically to cultural preferences, regulatory requirements, genre demand and commercial model.
It is not about volume for the sake of it. It is about structured scale.
With Narativ covering MENA, CIS and Africa, Harbour Rights handling Europe and Latin America, and ROCK Networks driving telco distribution in Southeast Asia, how do you ensure alignment?
We have a strong core team managing the framework from our Singapore hub. But more importantly, each partner brings something we do not have on the ground. Relationships, regulatory understanding, cultural insight, telco infrastructure. We learn very quickly from them and feed that back into our global strategy.
It is not about controlling every detail. It is about clarity of roles, constant communication and aligned commercial incentives. The diversity actually strengthens the ecosystem.
As microdrama moves beyond its early US growth cycle, which markets will be the next engines of scale?
Latin America and Asia Pacific. Both regions are deeply mobile first. They have strong appetite for serialized storytelling. And the payment ecosystem is maturing fast. When mobile behavior and monetization infrastructure align, scale follows.
How important is telecom integration, particularly through FlareFlow and ROCK Networks, to building sustainable subscription and retention models in Southeast Asia?
It is very important. In Southeast Asia the issue is not demand. It is friction. Payment friction. Subscription fatigue. Telco integration solves that. Carrier billing, bundling, data partnerships. It lowers the barrier to entry and improves retention naturally. Telcos also need differentiated content to drive ARPU and data usage. Microdrama fits beautifully into that. I am always happy to speak to telco partners. Call us and let’s build something meaningful together.
The exclusive partnership with BlingWood strengthens your Middle Eastern and Indian pipeline. Why are these territories strategically important?
I am personally very excited about these markets. Content preference is deeply shaped by culture. By bringing Middle Eastern and Indian storytelling into the ecosystem, we expand the emotional and narrative range of vertical content globally. There is also a large diaspora audience. A series does not just perform locally. It can travel through global communities. This is how the category matures. Through diversity of voice, not homogenization.
With partners such as Pratilipi, BeLive Studios and Tattle TV contributing premium local titles, how do you balance localization with global storytelling?
We used to talk about waves. Japanese wave. Korean wave. Now strong stories travel regardless of origin. When a story has clear stakes, emotional intensity and good pacing, it connects everywhere. That said, in a fast growth stage like microdrama, variety matters. People want representation. They want to see themselves reflected. Localization drives entry. Strong story architecture drives exportability. Over time, we will see more globally recognized vertical IP emerge as the space matures.
You emphasize data driven monetization and retention optimization. What metrics define success?
ARPDAU - Average revenue per daily active user tells you everything. If that number is healthy, your storytelling, retention pacing and monetization design are working together. Downloads are nice. Views are nice. But ARPDAU shows real sustainability.
COL positions itself as a neutral global gateway for premium vertical storytelling. How do you maintain neutrality while working with competing platforms?
Our international distribution business is headquartered in Singapore and operates independently in a B2B capacity. We work with multiple platforms, including those that may compete in certain markets. The vertical space is still young. Growing the industry is more important than trying to dominate it prematurely. We co produce. We co release. We share knowledge where it makes sense.
There is real value in succeeding together at this stage of the industry.
Looking ahead, do you see microdrama evolving into a parallel ecosystem or integrating more deeply into OTT?
Both. Right now microdrama operates with a very different commercial playbook from traditional OTT. It is faster, more gamified, more ARPDAU focused. But traditional platforms are already thinking about vertical seriously. Not just as social media marketing clips, but as a real format to extend IP, attract younger audiences and increase time spent. They will not copy the gamification model. But they will integrate vertical storytelling in ways that fit their subscription and advertising structures.
Microdrama is not replacing traditional television. It is expanding what television can look like on a mobile first world.
I see microdrama as a natural evolution of how we already consume content.We have been watching vertically since the first iPhone. Instagram, Stories, TikTok. Vertical video has dominated attention, but it was mostly creator driven. Traditional entertainment brands used vertical mainly for marketing, not as a primary storytelling format.
What microdrama did was take vertical seriously. Our first screen today is the phone. Attention spans are shorter. People want stories that are immediate, emotional and easy to consume in short bursts. Microdramas are built exactly for that. Vertical framing, strong hooks, simple but powerful conflicts, very relatable characters.
China proved the model at scale. The US showed it could travel. Now it is just a matter of time before it becomes more global. When behavior shifts, content eventually follows.
COL has scaled its international slate from 1,000 to more than 1,700 titles in under a year. What operational changes were required to support this level of expansion while maintaining quality?
The biggest shift was mindset. There are many players who simply resell content. Their goal is to move titles. Our goal is to help partners build sustainable vertical businesses.
That means we are not just handing over a catalogue. We are helping partners reduce experimentation risk. We know what works. We know what does not. We guide them on curation, monetization approach, market fit and rollout strategy.
Ironically, having the largest organized catalogue actually allows us to curate more carefully. We can match titles very specifically to cultural preferences, regulatory requirements, genre demand and commercial model.
It is not about volume for the sake of it. It is about structured scale.
With Narativ covering MENA, CIS and Africa, Harbour Rights handling Europe and Latin America, and ROCK Networks driving telco distribution in Southeast Asia, how do you ensure alignment?
We have a strong core team managing the framework from our Singapore hub. But more importantly, each partner brings something we do not have on the ground. Relationships, regulatory understanding, cultural insight, telco infrastructure. We learn very quickly from them and feed that back into our global strategy.
It is not about controlling every detail. It is about clarity of roles, constant communication and aligned commercial incentives. The diversity actually strengthens the ecosystem.
As microdrama moves beyond its early US growth cycle, which markets will be the next engines of scale?
Latin America and Asia Pacific. Both regions are deeply mobile first. They have strong appetite for serialized storytelling. And the payment ecosystem is maturing fast. When mobile behavior and monetization infrastructure align, scale follows.
How important is telecom integration, particularly through FlareFlow and ROCK Networks, to building sustainable subscription and retention models in Southeast Asia?
It is very important. In Southeast Asia the issue is not demand. It is friction. Payment friction. Subscription fatigue. Telco integration solves that. Carrier billing, bundling, data partnerships. It lowers the barrier to entry and improves retention naturally. Telcos also need differentiated content to drive ARPU and data usage. Microdrama fits beautifully into that. I am always happy to speak to telco partners. Call us and let’s build something meaningful together.
The exclusive partnership with BlingWood strengthens your Middle Eastern and Indian pipeline. Why are these territories strategically important?
I am personally very excited about these markets. Content preference is deeply shaped by culture. By bringing Middle Eastern and Indian storytelling into the ecosystem, we expand the emotional and narrative range of vertical content globally. There is also a large diaspora audience. A series does not just perform locally. It can travel through global communities. This is how the category matures. Through diversity of voice, not homogenization.
With partners such as Pratilipi, BeLive Studios and Tattle TV contributing premium local titles, how do you balance localization with global storytelling?
We used to talk about waves. Japanese wave. Korean wave. Now strong stories travel regardless of origin. When a story has clear stakes, emotional intensity and good pacing, it connects everywhere. That said, in a fast growth stage like microdrama, variety matters. People want representation. They want to see themselves reflected. Localization drives entry. Strong story architecture drives exportability. Over time, we will see more globally recognized vertical IP emerge as the space matures.
You emphasize data driven monetization and retention optimization. What metrics define success?
ARPDAU - Average revenue per daily active user tells you everything. If that number is healthy, your storytelling, retention pacing and monetization design are working together. Downloads are nice. Views are nice. But ARPDAU shows real sustainability.
COL positions itself as a neutral global gateway for premium vertical storytelling. How do you maintain neutrality while working with competing platforms?
Our international distribution business is headquartered in Singapore and operates independently in a B2B capacity. We work with multiple platforms, including those that may compete in certain markets. The vertical space is still young. Growing the industry is more important than trying to dominate it prematurely. We co produce. We co release. We share knowledge where it makes sense.
There is real value in succeeding together at this stage of the industry.
Looking ahead, do you see microdrama evolving into a parallel ecosystem or integrating more deeply into OTT?
Both. Right now microdrama operates with a very different commercial playbook from traditional OTT. It is faster, more gamified, more ARPDAU focused. But traditional platforms are already thinking about vertical seriously. Not just as social media marketing clips, but as a real format to extend IP, attract younger audiences and increase time spent. They will not copy the gamification model. But they will integrate vertical storytelling in ways that fit their subscription and advertising structures.
Microdrama is not replacing traditional television. It is expanding what television can look like on a mobile first world.
