Henry Soong is trying to make vertical microdrama series that don’t suck. That makes the Watch Club founder quite unique within this multibillion dollar industry of apps that churn out formulaic, cringe-worthy content and use aggressive tactics to maximize in-app spending.
“Ninety percent of these stories are, ‘I’m a poor girl! I fell in love with a secret billionaire! He’s a werewolf, and his mother is a vampire, and she disapproves of me!’” Soong told TechCrunch. “There’s a market for that, and we shouldn’t laugh at that, but I think this can be so much bigger than just sloppy, AI-adjacent romance soap operas.”
Soong’s comments are a little combative, but they’re not wrong. Competitor ReelShort made $1.2 billion in in-app purchases last year, while DramaBox made $276 million. The quality, he said, is so milquetoast that it could feasibly be made using AI-generated scripts.
What would be the earning potential for a microdrama app that makes shows that are actually good and worth talking about?
Soong is trying to answer that question with Watch Club, an app with microdrama stories made by SAG and WGA actors and writers (leading apps like DramaBox and ReelShort do not use union talent).
Soong, a former Meta product manager who describes himself as “a fangirl, through and through,” thinks that what makes TV so special is the communities that form around them. Given his experience working on social products, he’s also seeking to differentiate Watch Club from existing microdrama apps by embedding a social network within it.
“I think you can actually build a such a more interesting business if you take what makes TV truly the most fun,” he said, pointing out “Heated Rivarly” as an example of what he’s talking about. “You watch it, and then you just want to gossip with your three best friends about it, or see what 100,000 funny, clever other young women or gay people on the internet are saying.”
Techcrunch event TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026: Tickets Live On June 23 in Boston, more than 1,100 founders come together at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling. Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry. Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages. Walk away with tactics you can apply immediately
Save up to $300 on your pass or save up to 30% with group tickets for teams of four or more. TechCrunch Founder Summit: Tickets Live On June 23 in Boston, more than 1,100 founders come together at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling. Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry. Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages. Walk away with tactics you can apply immediately
... continue reading