COL Group
COL Group is a Chinese digital-content and intellectual-property company that develops online literature, short-form video, international entertainment platforms, merchandise, and AI-assisted creative tools.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
COL Group Co., Ltd. is a Chinese digital-content company whose activities span online literature, intellectual-property development, short-form drama, international digital entertainment, merchandise, and artificial-intelligence-assisted content creation. The company was established at Tsinghua University in Beijing in 2000 and became a public company on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in January 2015. Its business model is built around sourcing, developing, distributing, and adapting written and audiovisual content across multiple formats and territories. The group operates online literature platforms and content labels, including 17K.com and 4YT.NET, and works with contracted authors, copyright organizations, and creators publishing through its own services. Company disclosures have described a catalog of more than 5.6 million digital works, contributions from more than 4.5 million online authors, and relationships with hundreds of copyright organizations. These figures illustrate the scale of the content library on which COL Group's adaptation and licensing activities depend, although catalog size and author counts may change over time. COL Group has increasingly emphasized intellectual-property operations rather than treating online literature as an end product. Written works can be adapted into short-form video, animation, merchandise, and other forms of entertainment. The company reported revenue from paid short-form video content, including mini-series, in 2022. It has also participated in the international expansion of mobile-first short-drama services. Through its stake in Crazy Maple Studio, the group is associated with ReelShort, a short-form video application that distributes serialized dramas made up of episodes lasting only a few minutes. ReelShort experienced a sharp increase in United States App Store downloads in November 2023, and COL Group's stock price more than doubled over the following two weeks according to the referenced account. The group's overseas initiatives include Sereal+, a short-drama service launched by COL Web in December 2023, and UniReel, a Japanese duanju application launched by COL JAPAN in November 2024. These services show COL Group adapting its short-form entertainment model to different languages, markets, and production ecosystems. COL Group has also maintained offices or operating bases in the United States, Japan, and Southeast Asia. In 2025, materials associated with the company described FlareFlow as another international short-drama distribution service, with operations connected to Singapore, Los Angeles, and Beijing and availability through major mobile-app stores. Artificial intelligence is another strategic area. In 2023, COL Group introduced Xiaoyao.ai, described as a creative large-language-model product intended to assist with long-form writing, image-based story creation, and comprehension of lengthy manuscripts. The related author platform enables users to create and publish AI-assisted original works. The company has also explored multimodal generative AI and AI-supported anime-short production, using machine-learning tools in parts of the writing, visual-development, and animation workflow. COL Group's broader portfolio includes Tanmi Space, an intellectual-property derivatives and trendy-toy brand. It also has been associated with plans for dedicated short-drama production infrastructure in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. Overall, COL Group positions itself as a content and IP platform: its online literature assets supply source material, its production and distribution businesses turn that material into screen entertainment, and its international and AI initiatives are intended to widen the ways in which content is created and monetized.
History
COL Group originated at Tsinghua University in Beijing in 2000. From its beginning, the company focused on digital content and online literature rather than on conventional print publishing. It developed platforms for original and licensed works, worked with online authors and copyright organizations, and built a content catalog that could be distributed digitally or adapted into other media. The company's online-literature activities include 17K.com and 4YT.NET, together with genre-oriented labels associated with science fiction and mystery fiction. Its supply of content comes from several channels: proprietary platforms, contracted writers, and external copyright partners. Company disclosures have described millions of digital works and millions of online authors, establishing a large intellectual-property base for later licensing and adaptation initiatives. A major corporate milestone occurred on 21 January 2015, when COL Group was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Public-company status supported the expansion of a business that increasingly combined content creation, rights management, technology, and entertainment distribution. The group subsequently extended its activities into short-form video and reported revenue from paid short-form content, including mini-series, in 2022. COL Group's short-drama strategy has involved both direct platform development and investment in affiliated companies. Crazy Maple Studio, in which COL Group holds a stake, published ReelShort in August 2022. ReelShort distributes mobile-oriented dramas divided into episodes of only a few minutes. Some programs were adapted from scripts originally written in Chinese and produced for the Chinese market, while the service itself pursued international audiences. A surge in United States App Store downloads in November 2023 brought substantial attention to the service and was followed by a sharp rise in COL Group's stock price, according to the referenced Wikipedia account. Internationalization continued through Sereal+, launched by COL Web in December 2023, and UniReel, launched by COL JAPAN in November 2024. Sereal+ distributes short dramas through an app and website and offers genres including romance, fantasy, and relationship drama. UniReel applied the duanju format to the Japanese market. Its early release, The Final Lesson – Only Survivors Graduate, was based on a short drama originally produced by Nippon TV and featured Yusei Yagi. The production later received a Best Actor award for Yagi at the first Asia Short-Form Drama Awards in 2025. Technology has become a second major development path. COL Group has invested in large-language-model and multimodal generative-AI applications. In 2023, it launched Xiaoyao.ai, presented as a creative model capable of assisting with long-form novel creation, image-to-story generation, and the reading or comprehension of very long manuscripts. The related author service allows users to make and publish AI-assisted works. COL Group has also used AI tools in the development of anime shorts, applying them to stages such as script development, visual design, and animation generation. The group has expanded beyond screen and written content into consumer products. Tanmi Space is an IP-derivatives brand focused on trendy toys and merchandise based on original and collaborative properties. Additional overseas activity has included offices or operations in the United States, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Materials supplied for this dossier also describe FlareFlow as an international short-drama service introduced in 2025, with bases in Singapore, Los Angeles, and Beijing and distribution through mobile-app stores. A 2025 report further described a dedicated microdrama production facility in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. These initiatives reflect COL Group's continuing shift from a primarily Chinese online-literature company toward a broader, cross-format and international IP platform.
- 2025
Reported microdrama production facility
[2]Industry reporting described COL Group's dedicated microdrama production infrastructure in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area.
- 2024
UniReel launched in Japan
[1]COL JAPAN launched UniReel in November to distribute short-form dramas in the Japanese market.
- 2023
Xiaoyao.ai introduced
[1]COL Group introduced an AI creative platform intended to support novel generation and other forms of AI-assisted writing.
- 2023
Sereal+ launched
[1]COL Web launched Sereal+ in December as an international short-drama production and distribution service.
- 2022
Expansion into paid short-form video
[1]COL Group reported revenue from paid short-form video content, including mini-series.
- 2022
ReelShort published by Crazy Maple Studio
[1]The partially owned Crazy Maple Studio published the ReelShort mobile short-drama application.
- 2015
Shenzhen Stock Exchange listing
[1]The company was listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange on 21 January 2015.
- 2000
Company founded at Tsinghua University
[1]COL Group was founded at Tsinghua University in Beijing and began developing a digital-content and online-literature business.
Products and positioning
A digital-content and intellectual-property company connecting online literature, mobile-first short drama, international distribution, merchandise, and AI-assisted creative production.
Online literature platform
17K.com
17K.com is one of COL Group's original-content platforms. It hosts digitally published literature and contributes to the group's wider system for discovering, distributing, licensing, and adapting written intellectual property.
Online literature platform
4YT.NET
4YT.NET is an online-content platform included in COL Group's digital-literature portfolio. It forms part of the company's network for publishing and managing original or licensed digital works.
Short-form drama application · 2022
ReelShort
ReelShort is a mobile video service associated with partially owned Crazy Maple Studio. It distributes serialized duanju dramas in episodes lasting only a few minutes and has used adaptations of scripts originally developed for Chinese audiences while pursuing international distribution.
International short-drama platform · 2023
Sereal+
Sereal+ is a short-drama service operated under COL Web. Launched in December 2023, it makes mobile-oriented serialized dramas available through an application and website across genres such as romance, fantasy, and relationship drama.
Japanese short-drama application · 2024
UniReel
UniReel is a duanju application launched by COL JAPAN for the Japanese market. Its early release, The Final Lesson – Only Survivors Graduate, was a school-based mystery drama originally produced by Nippon TV and starring Yusei Yagi.
International short-drama platform · 2025
FlareFlow
FlareFlow is described in the supplied materials as a mobile-oriented short-drama distribution service connected with operations in Singapore, Los Angeles, and Beijing. Its catalog includes licensed and original serialized productions across romance, fantasy, urban drama, and suspense.
AI-assisted creative platform · 2023
Xiaoyao.ai
Xiaoyao.ai is COL Group's AI creative initiative. It has been described as supporting one-click long-form novel generation, story creation from images, and comprehension of very long manuscripts. Its associated author platform supports creation and publication of AI-assisted original works.
IP merchandise and trendy toys
Tanmi Space
Tanmi Space is an IP-derivatives brand focused on trendy toys and related merchandise. It develops products based on COL Group's own intellectual properties and collaborative properties.
Brand decisions
2025
Development of dedicated microdrama production infrastructureStrategyBackground
The growth of short-form drama created demand for production facilities designed around fast, serialized, mobile-first content.
Action taken
Industry reporting described COL Group's development of a microdrama facility in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, including multiple standing sets.
Aftermath
The facility was intended to support in-house and commissioned production for serialized short-form distribution.
2024
Launch of UniReel in JapanProduct launchBackground
COL Group used its Japanese operations to localize the short-drama model for a market with an established television and entertainment production sector.
Action taken
COL JAPAN launched UniReel in November 2024, beginning with a school-based mystery short drama.
Aftermath
The first highlighted production later received recognition for Yusei Yagi at the first Asia Short-Form Drama Awards in 2025.
2023
Launch of Xiaoyao.aiProduct launchBackground
COL Group identified large-language-model and multimodal generative-AI technology as tools that could support its digital-content operations.
Action taken
The company introduced Xiaoyao.ai and an associated author service for AI-assisted creation and publication.
Aftermath
AI-assisted writing and AI anime-short production became part of the group's broader content-development activities.
2023
International expansion through Sereal+StrategyBackground
The company sought to distribute short-form serialized entertainment beyond China and adapt its content model to international audiences.
Action taken
COL Web launched Sereal+ in December 2023 as an app and website for global short-drama production and distribution.
Aftermath
The service expanded COL Group's portfolio of international digital-entertainment platforms.
2022
Expand from digital literature into paid short-form videoStrategyBackground
COL Group's established online-literature business provided a large catalog of written intellectual property, while mobile entertainment created opportunities for serialized short-form video.
Action taken
The company developed short-form video activities and reported revenue from paid short-form content, including mini-series.
Aftermath
Short drama became an increasingly visible part of the group's cross-format content and international-expansion strategy.
2022
Launch of ReelShortProduct launchBackground
COL Group's investment in Crazy Maple Studio connected it with a mobile platform built around very short serialized dramas.
Action taken
Crazy Maple Studio published ReelShort in August 2022.
Aftermath
The platform later gained substantial attention in the United States, particularly after an App Store download surge in November 2023.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
COL Group launches COL AI Studios[3]
Reported:
COL Group has launched COL AI Studios, a new entertainment vertical designed to help platforms, studios and brands develop, test and scale content beyond traditional licensing deals, building on a distribution network of over 5,000 live-action titles.
Launch of the Digital-Intelligence Industry Innovation Joint Development Plan[4]
Reported:
Qingsong Health Group, Wuhan Municipal Data Bureau, Chinese Online, Dameng Data, and other participants jointly launched the Digital-Intelligence Industry Innovation Joint Development Plan at the China Computer Applications Conference, setting out cooperation around data, computing power, algorithms, and industrial applications.
Chinese Online and ByteDance sign cooperation agreement[5]
Chinese Online and ByteDance signed a framework cooperation agreement covering audio-work licensing, joint development of a host ecosystem, co-building audio content, and digital copyright licensing for use on platforms including Tomato Novel.
Sources5 sources
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