EXCLUSIVE: Asia’s high 5 micro-drama apps reached a cumulative complete of 150 million month-to-month lively customers (MAU) in February, whereas China-based corporations achieved important progress within the style over the past yr, in accordance with an Omdia report.
Apps such Dramabox, Goodshort, Reelshort and Shortmax – which provide episodes lasting for round 60 to 90 seconds – have additionally skilled important progress within the Philippines, Indonesia, Brazil and even the U.S.
For instance, Dramabox has seen 2,550% app retailer income progress year-on-year, whereas Shortmax skilled 3,888% progress. In keeping with Omdia’s evaluation of Sensor Tower knowledge, DramaBox’s app retailer income (throughout 84 markets) elevated from $8M in 2023 to $217M in 2024, whereas ReelShort app retailer income grew from $36M in 2023 to $214M in 2024.
Micro-dramas are rising as a key progress space amid a maturing video and streaming market in Asia, with considerably decrease manufacturing prices and shorter manufacturing cycles. Some micro-drama producers have additionally turned to AI of their course of to maximise value effectivity.
Nevertheless, the dramas have additionally surfaced issues over storylines and content material. For instance, Chinese language media regulators have began tightening rules on micro-drama content material, with Bytedance-backed Hongguo instructed to cease releasing new content material for 5 days for reevaluation in December final yr.
As of February 2025, Hongguo has eliminated 130 micro-dramas from its app, as these have been deemed to comprise ideas that violate public order and social morality.
In Asia, the micro-drama pattern is most notable in China, the place main streaming companies have began to embrace them in vertical codecs on their cellular platforms – akin to Jeffrey Katzenberg’s short-lived Quibi platform. Three out of 5 web customers watch micro-dramas, Omdia estimates, and, in accordance with a report by the China Web Community Data Middle (CNNIC), there have been simply over 1 billion short-form video customers and 662 million micro-drama customers within the nation in 2024.
Chinese language streamers at the moment are encouraging micro-drama content material creators and IP holders to accomplice with them to co-produce and distribute content material inside their video platforms. For instance, Tencent Video provides platform help, together with video content material manufacturing, administration and distribution instruments through Tencent Cloud, in addition to help on viewers attain, income fashions, product high quality help, and copyright safety.
Singapore-based short-form video platform Viddsee additionally introduced its micro-drama slate in October final yr, focused on the Southeast Asian market and past.
The primary few episodes of the micro-drama are normally supplied without cost, then viewers pay a charge to unlock the remaining episodes. The monetization mannequin for micro-drama apps tends to be extra versatile than conventional on-line streaming companies – customers can choose to proceed viewing by watching advertisements, paying for a subscription or paying per episode.
On many platforms, viewers also can spend in-app cash to unlock subsequent episodes, and earn in-app cash by checking in every day, staying on the app for no less than 5 minutes, and following the platform’s social media accounts — methods that drive person stickiness and engagement.
Trying towards the long run, Omdia’s report highlighted that promoting gross sales alternatives for micro-dramas will surge, in addition to telcos providing knowledge bundling with micro-drama apps. For instance, Indonesia’s Telkomsel provides a FlexTV bundling package deal.
South Korea can also be one other key progress market in Asia for short-form video content material, with streamers Tving and Watcha introducing micro-dramas. One native report additionally confirmed that the proportion of short-form content material among the many sorts of video format individuals consumed probably the most elevated from 58.1% in 2023 to 70.7% in 2024.
The Omdia report additionally discovered that 20% of 2025’s high downloaded apps within the leisure phase are micro-drama apps, together with Dramabox, Shortmax, Microdrama, Reelshort and Flickreels, in accordance with Sensor Tower knowledge.
The highest 5 micro-drama apps’ month-to-month lively customers grew 5,848% yr over yr from end-2023 to end-2024.
In December final yr, Tving launched a devoted part for vertical short-form video content material optimized for cellular. The service initially centered on video highlights from its library, together with authentic sequence, KBO League baseball video games, and professional basketball video games. Tving plans to launch authentic micro-drama content material this yr.
Equally, in September final yr, Watcha launched Shortcha, a devoted micro-drama service, that includes content material from South Korea, China, Japan, and the US.
Extra gamers, together with gaming corporations, have additionally began to put money into micro-drama. For instance, in India, gaming firm Nazara Applied sciences invested $250,000 in ReelSaga Improvements, securing a 3.57% stake. In South Korea, PUGB developer Krafton invested $90M in Seoul-based Spoonlabs, operator of the short-form drama platform Vigloo.
