COL Group International Kicks Off Zhuhai-Macau Studio Operations as Expansion Accelerates with TVB and Mango TV Anchor Productions

TVB, Mango TV and FlareFlow leverages on COL's mega studio city in Zhuhai-Macau for long-form and microdrama productions

COL Group International has officially launched full operations at its Zhuhai-Macau production studio, marking a major milestone in the group's international expansion strategy and signalling its push to scale both long-form television and next-generation microdrama production.

The studio launch is anchored by two major partner productions — TVB's flagship 2026 long-form drama City of Splendour 《璀璨之城》 and Mango TV's original microdrama He Will Return Before Dawn 《黎明前他会回来》, which together represent the first wave of projects to enter production following COL's studio rollout.

Announced in late 2025, COL's studio initiative was conceived to address rising demand for dedicated, format-specific production infrastructure, particularly for high-volume microdrama content, while continuing to support premium long-form television drama. With operations now live, the Zhuhai-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 COL's global microdrama platform, FlareFlow, which will also utilise the facility for upcoming original series.

Updated Studio Scale Reflects Expanded Ambitions

Following its initial announcement, COL has further refined and expanded the scale of the studio city to support industrialised, multi-format content production at volume. The Zhuhai-Macau project now spans 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 microdrama output accelerates globally.

Anchor Partner Productions Validate Expansion Strategy

Leading the studio's operational launch is TVB's high-profile business drama City of Splendour, which completed key indoor shoots at the Zhuhai-Macau facility after returning on 20 January for major narrative sequences. 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 programme lineup.

Running in parallel, Mango TV's original microdrama He Will Return Before Dawn entered the studio on 17 January 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.

Together with upcoming FlareFlow originals, the projects underscore COL's dual-format and multi-platform production capability, supporting traditional long-form television drama alongside the rapidly expanding microdrama format across Asia and international markets.

Purpose-Built Infrastructure for the Full Content Value Chain

Designed to serve broadcasters, streaming platforms and content partners across Greater China and the wider Asia-Pacific region, the Zhuhai-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."

As COL continues to expand its studio footprint and production capabilities, the group is expected to deepen collaborations with leading broadcasters and platforms, positioning its Zhuhai-Macau base as a regional hub for large-scale, multi-format content creation in an evolving global production landscape.