Taiwanese Dramas and Variety Shows Face Viewership Pressure! MIC Warns: 'Going Streaming' Can't Solve Audience Loss—Taiwanese Content Must Compete Globally

Putting Taiwanese dramas on streaming platforms doesn't automatically attract more viewers. On the 20th, the Institute for Information Industry's Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC) released a survey showing that while Taiwanese films, dramas, and variety shows still have a viewing base, only Taiwanese films show a higher percentage of increased viewership compared to decreased. Viewership for Taiwanese dramas, variety shows, and reality programs is declining. As audience choices expand from local channels to global content, Taiwan's audiovisual industry now faces not just a distribution issue, but a competition to win broader audiences across cultural and geographic boundaries.

MIC's 'Taiwan Audiovisual Viewing Behavior Survey' shows that 78.3% of respondents have watched Taiwanese films, 69.2% have watched local dramas, and 67.9% have watched variety or reality shows. However, 'having watched' reflects content popularity, not necessarily continued growth in viewership.

Further analysis of viewing volume changes reveals that only Taiwanese films show a higher rate of increased viewing than decreased. Taiwanese dramas, variety shows, and reality programs all show declining viewership, indicating that while local content retains a base, it faces pressure from international works and other content formats fragmenting audience attention.

Viewing Channels Diverge: Films Shift to Streaming, Dramas and Variety Shows Rely on TV

Viewing habits also differ significantly by content type. Among those who have watched Taiwanese films, 42% did so via online streaming platforms—the highest share. In contrast, TV channels remain the primary viewing method for dramas at 38.8%, and for variety and reality shows, TV viewing reaches 43.4%.

This indicates that viewing behavior for Taiwanese films has clearly shifted toward online streaming, while dramas, variety, and reality shows remain heavily dependent on traditional TV channels. The uneven pace of digital transformation across content types means that simply moving content to streaming platforms may not compensate for the loss of traditional TV audiences.

Hong Qiya, Senior Industry Analyst at MIC, pointed out that audiences have developed cross-border content consumption habits, and the entertainment market has shifted from regional to global competition. 'If viewership continues to shrink, merely going streaming won’t solve market viability issues.' He believes Taiwanese content should evolve toward narratives that global audiences can understand—retaining Taiwan’s unique identity while incorporating universal emotions and broad entertainment appeal. The real key isn’t just adding more platforms, but expanding the audience reach of Taiwanese content.

Taiwanese Content Must Cross Cultural Barriers

With the widespread adoption of international platforms like Netflix and Disney+, Taiwanese viewers now access content from the U.S., Japan, South Korea, China, and beyond. Audiovisual works no longer compete only with local counterparts but vie for limited viewing time against globally produced content.

In this context, Taiwan’s uniqueness can still differentiate its content, but if stories rely heavily on local context, language nuances, or cultural knowledge, overseas audiences may face high comprehension barriers. Therefore, the ability of Taiwanese content to transform local themes into universally relatable experiences—such as family relationships, personal growth, workplace dynamics, love, social conflict, or moral choices—will determine whether it can transcend local market limitations.

In other words, 'global storytelling' doesn’t mean diluting Taiwan’s identity, but rather enabling Taiwanese stories to achieve cross-cultural understanding and emotional resonance.

37.4% of Viewers Travel After Watching—Content Impact Spills Over to Tourism and Dining

Despite declining viewership for dramas and variety shows, Taiwanese audiovisual content still generates spillover effects in tourism, consumption, and cultural engagement. Among respondents who have watched local content, 58.2% believe it helps promote tourist attractions, 55.7% say it promotes local cuisine, and 52.9% feel it showcases Taiwan’s warmth and culture.

In terms of actual post-viewing actions, 37.4% have visited tourist sites due to Taiwanese content, 31.8% have purchased related food and beverages, and 20% have bought related lifestyle products. Non-consumption behaviors include 35.8% watching behind-the-scenes footage, 26.6% enjoying the soundtrack, and 22.9% watching content analyses.

Hong Qiya stated that this shows Taiwanese audiovisual content is increasingly delivering cross-sector benefits—not only deepening public understanding of local culture but also driving tourism, consumption, and secondary content engagement, demonstrating the industry’s power to connect culture, tourism, and creative industries.

Threads Surpasses Dcard for First Time—Young Audiences Shift Information Sources

Regarding sources for information on Taiwanese audiovisual content, YouTube leads with 72.9%, followed by Facebook at 57.1%, LINE at 40.1%, and Instagram at 31.3%. Notably, Threads reached 18.8%, surpassing Dcard’s 13.9% for the first time, becoming the fifth-largest source.

Differences among younger demographics are even more pronounced. Among 18- to 25-year-olds, 51.7% obtain information via Instagram, and 39.2% use Threads. For 26- to 35-year-olds, Instagram and Threads usage stands at 44% and 24.6%, respectively.

Another MIC short-video survey also found that 64.3% of short-video users have discovered new works through such content, suggesting that trailers, highlights, behind-the-scenes clips, and creator discussions may serve as key entry points for Taiwanese audiovisual content to reach new audiences.

However, social media and short videos mainly solve the problem of 'making audiences see the content' but cannot replace the inherent market competitiveness of the content itself. To convert short-term buzz into sustained viewership and overseas market success, Taiwanese audiovisual content ultimately depends on its ability to cross cultural boundaries and deliver compelling stories amid rapidly increasing global content supply.

This survey was conducted by MIC in the fourth quarter of 2025, collecting 1,068 valid online responses. At a 95% confidence level, the sampling error is ±3 percentage points.