China's broadcast regulator has issued detailed implementation rules for categorizing micro dramas into three distinct tiers, with differentiated oversight measures to be fully enforced from the start of next month.
On August 17, the Network Audiovisual Division of the National Radio and Television Administration released its formal classification and tiering standards, serving as the supporting enforcement guidelines for the Micro Drama Development Management Measures (Order No. 16) scheduled to take effect on September 1. The new directive employs both subject matter and investment scale as dual criteria, setting separate threshold values for live-action productions and AI-generated content across all micro drama categories.
Under the new framework, special-subject productions receive priority classification. Any micro drama touching on politics, military affairs, diplomacy, national security, united front work, ethnic relations, religion, judiciary, or public security — regardless of budget size — will be uniformly placed under Tier 1 management.
Beyond special subjects, live-action micro dramas with investments of 3 million yuan or more and AI-generated micro dramas with investments of 800,000 yuan or more also fall into the Tier 1 category. Tier 1 productions face the strictest oversight: the national regulator handles filing and public notification, provincial-level authorities conduct final content review, and a Micro Drama Distribution License must be issued before the content can go live.
Tier 2 applies to general-subject productions within a mid-range investment bracket: live-action micro dramas with investments between 1 million and 3 million yuan, and AI-generated micro dramas with investments between 300,000 and 800,000 yuan. These productions require final content review by provincial-level broadcasting authorities, who issue formal approval documents upon clearance.
Tier 3 covers general-subject live-action micro dramas with investments below 1 million yuan and AI-generated micro dramas with investments below 300,000 yuan. For these, online video platforms bear primary responsibility for content management, completing pre-broadcast reviews and assigning program numbers before the content can be distributed.
The guidelines also address interactive micro dramas featuring branching narratives and multiple endings. Such productions are treated as collections of interrelated micro dramas, with classification determined by their core production method: those primarily created through live-action filming follow the live-action standards, while those primarily AI-generated follow the AI standards.
Industry analysts view these classification standards as the cornerstone implementation document for China's dedicated micro drama regulatory framework, reflecting a governance approach that combines tiered policy with balanced oversight. Compared with earlier rules, the new regulations raise the high-cost threshold for live-action productions and, for the first time, establish separate investment thresholds for AI-generated micro dramas, accommodating the differing cost structures of various production formats. This differentiated model maintains compliance standards for special subjects and premium content while preserving development space for low-budget and lightweight creative works, pushing the industry from rapid expansion toward refined, standardized growth.
The Micro Drama Development Management Measures mark China's first departmental regulation specifically targeting the micro drama sector. The accompanying classification standards will take effect alongside the Measures on September 1, at which point all micro dramas intended for public distribution must complete the appropriate filing and review procedures according to their designated tier. Productions failing to complete the compliance process will not be permitted to air.