On August 19, mainland China’s well-known broker Yang Tianzhen had a conversation with actress Song Jia on the podcast program “Tianzhen Not Tianzhen”. She revealed that the rate of drama production starting this year is only 30% of last year’s, with many projects unable to start even after actors have signed contracts, facing withdrawal of funding from investors or platforms midway through.
Yang Tianzhen stated in the program that the significant drop in the industry’s production rate this year is an open secret. The current norm in the industry is that even after the production team has signed contracts with actors, projects may still be shelved at any time. Due to the break in the investment chain from financiers or sudden withdrawal of funds by platforms, a large number of dramas that have already been approved and in preparation are forced to be “abandoned” at the last minute, never making it to the stage of actual filming.
The plummeting production rate has led to extremely scarce opportunities in the industry, impacting not just background actors or supporting actors, but even established actresses like Song Jia, who has won numerous awards, stating that she hasn’t been on set for a long time and finds it rare to have time to “do some non-busy things”. Many young well-known actors have also publicly expressed facing long idle periods, with a significant number of industry professionals contemplating unemployment or career changes.
Analysts point out that the rise of short dramas and the impact of AI technology have somewhat squeezed the survival and production space of traditional long dramas.
According to reports in mainland media, middle-aged and top actors in China, positioned at the top of the pyramid, are facing a tug-of-war where high-quality project opportunities are dwindling, and their autonomy in script selection is diminishing.
Zhao Youting admitted in an interview in July that he had only received invitations for 10 scripts in the first half of this year. During his peak career period, he used to receive far more scripts in just one month; Jia Nailiang trended in mid-June due to “no roles to play”, acknowledging in a live broadcast that he has gone through the industry’s transformations and the increase in product placements was a “necessity” due to the lack of roles; several highly visible celebrities are experiencing extended periods without work, with Dilraba responding in an interview that delaying production is “the bravest thing”, and Hu Yitian, who hasn’t taken on new roles for a while, addressing fans on the popular “not in production list” saying he is “looking for work”.
As a result of shrinking drama projects, reduced pay, and long repayment cycles, traditional long drama actors are collectively seeking side businesses. In mid-August, a wave of enthusiasm for “a large group of actors planning to open online platforms to generate income” surged in the mainland entertainment industry, with more than 15 cross-discipline artists including Zhaolusi, Bailu, Luo Yunxi, Wang Hedong, Yu Shuxin announcing plans for nationwide concert tours. Opening online platforms for income generation is becoming the preferred choice for traditional actors during their “idle” periods to maintain exposure and supplement income due to their short preparation period offline and quick financial returns.