The Regulations on the Development and Management of Micro-Dramas, recently unveiled by the National Radio and Television Administration, officially came into force today (September 1). This marks the first dedicated departmental regulation in China's micro-drama sector, carrying a higher legal authority than previous industry guidance documents.

For the first time at the national level, the regulations establish a comprehensive institutional framework covering creation, production, broadcasting, and supervision across the entire value chain. This shift signals a move from phased guidance to institutionalized, law-based long-term governance, drawing clear boundaries and setting a defined direction for the industry's healthy and prosperous growth.

The core of the regulations lies in establishing a tiered management system. Based on investment scale and content themes, micro-dramas will be classified into three levels—Category One, Category Two, and Category Three—each subject to corresponding filing and review requirements. The classification standards are formulated by the broadcasting authority and will be dynamically adjusted in line with industry developments. Industry experts note that this differentiated oversight approach means micro-dramas of varying budgets and subject matters will face different levels of scrutiny, with high-investment and special-themed productions subject to stricter approval processes.

Within this tiered framework, the regulations further clarify comprehensive content standards and main responsibilities across the entire chain, reinforcing the industry's compliance baseline. Additionally, the regulations stipulate that micro-dramas generated or produced using artificial intelligence technology must comply with relevant national provisions and display a clear warning label in a prominent position at the start of each episode. This measure both safeguards audience rights to transparency and provides standardized guidance for AI-generated content creation.