COL Group International has officially launched full operations at its Hengqin-Macau production studio, a major milestone in the group’s international expansion and a clear signal of its ambition to scale both long-form television drama and next-generation microdrama production.
The studio’s operational rollout is anchored by two flagship partner productions: TVB’s 2026 long-form drama “City of Splendour” and Mango TV’s original microdrama “He Will Return Before Dawn”. Together, the projects represent the first wave of titles to enter production following the launch of the Hengqin-Macau facility.
First announced in late 2025, COL’s studio initiative was designed to respond to growing demand for dedicated, format-specific production infrastructure, particularly for high-volume microdrama content, while continuing to support premium scripted television. Now fully operational, the Hengqin-Macau studio forms a core pillar of COL’s broader content ecosystem, spanning production, IP development, platform operations and global distribution, including content commissioned and produced for the company’s global microdrama platform, FlareFlow, which will also utilise the facility for upcoming original series.
SCALING UP PRODUCTION CAPACITY
Since its initial announcement, COL has expanded and refined the scale of the studio project to support industrialised, multi-format production at volume. The Hengqin-Macau complex now covers a total land area of 220,000 square metres, with 170,000 square metres dedicated to production scenarios, comprising 94 indoor and outdoor microdrama filming sets designed to serve both domestic and international productions. The facility is engineered to support parallel shoots, rapid set turnover and high-frequency production cycles, capabilities that are increasingly critical as global microdrama output accelerates.
Leading the studio’s operational launch is TVB’s high-profile business drama “City of Splendour”, which completed key indoor shoots at the Hengqin-Macau facility after returning to production on January 20. Headlined by Julian Cheung, Ron Ng, Samantha Ko, Kelly Cheung and veteran actor David Chiang, the series centres on a high-stakes power struggle within a luxury hotel empire and is positioned as a cornerstone title in TVB’s 2026 programming lineup.
Running in parallel, Mango TV’s original microdrama “He Will Return Before Dawn” entered the studio on January 17 to complete a focused schedule of modern workplace scenes. Adapted from a popular online novel, the series stars Bevan Bi and Zhang Miaoyi, with special appearances by Ke Chun and Luo Yizhou, alongside established actors Yin Xiaotian, Geng Le and Ni Jingyang.
Alongside upcoming FlareFlow originals, the projects highlight COL’s dual-format, multi-platform production capability, supporting traditional long-form television drama while scaling the rapidly expanding microdrama format across Asia and international markets.
SERVING THE FULL CONTENT VALUE CHAIN
Designed to serve broadcasters, streaming platforms and content partners across Greater China and the wider Asia-Pacific region, the Hengqin-Macau studio offers high-specification indoor stages, flexible contemporary set builds and integrated on-site production support. The facility is optimised for fast-turnaround microdrama shoots while retaining the production scale and standards required for premium scripted television.
“We’re not just in the business of platforms and distribution,” said Timothy Oh, General Manager of COL Group International. “We’re helping our partners scale effectively and efficiently — from IP and production capabilities, to our content library and even marketing support. Our goal is to meet partners at every level of the content value chain.” He added, “We’re looking forward to working with more TV networks, telcos, OTT platforms and microdrama apps globally as we navigate this exciting shift in how audiences consume content.”
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