Microdramas are the talk of the town among social media companies these days. Platforms like TikTok are courting serialized short-form content, and individual brands are launching their own series with not-so-subtle brand mentions.

(Venmo’s recent series opens with friends whiteboarding what to name their Venmo Group, something neither you nor I have ever done).

To capitalize on surging viewership, Comcast has introduced microdramas to Peacock—and they’re not always family friendly.

Peacock joins the rush into short-form video

As Peacock pivots its mobile app into a vertical video hub, it has licensed a series of risqué microdramas like “Pregnant by my Ex’s Professor Dad” or werewolf-themed “Fated to my Forbidden Alpha.” Something for everyone. Those are joined by more family-friendly fare starring NBCUniversal stars like Jimmy Fallon.

Many of these shows, produced by companies like Buzzfeed-owned Halogen, are also available in full on microdrama-specific platform Reelshort, meaning Comcast may have a two-way licensing partnership with the platforms. In February, Comcast-owned Telemundo began airing its own microdrama series on Reelshort.

Comcast did not respond to a request for comment.

Comcast wants to compete with short-form app viewership

Senior vice president of product and user experience John Jelley told Bloomberg that fans spend more than 30 minutes per watch session with microdramas.

EMARKETER data shows that viewership of microdrama-specific apps is growing fast, but the best discovery engine for microdramas is on other dominant short-form platforms like TikTok, which commands much higher time spent among US users at 22 minutes daily, versus Peacock’s 8 minutes. Comcast hopes adding microdramas can help close that gap.

Implications for marketers

Microdramas are a high-engagement format for brands. Marketers can advertise on microdrama-specific apps, trading viewer counts for high engagement, or advertise on broader short-form platforms but risk not appearing near microdramas. Product placement opportunities could also emerge—or brands could produce their own microdramas.

But as microdrama viewership grows, advertising on platforms like TikTok or Peacock becomes a riskier gambit: Family-friendly brands could appear near raunchy content unless brands strike specific terms with content providers.