Short drama apps just had their biggest quarter ever
With $3.3B in revenue and 259M downloads, bite-sized soap operas are taking over phones from Jakarta to São Paulo—powered by China, translated scripts, and a flood of ads.
Global revenue from short drama apps hit ¥24B ($3.3B) in Q1 2025, up 23% from Q4.
Downloads surged 64% to 259 million installs across mobile platforms.
Female-targeted romance and revenge plots dominate global engagement and monetization.
Translated Chinese dramas make up 50% of content, but local originals now drive higher retention.
Ad creative volume reached 1.27 million, matching 70% of 2024’s full-year total—in just one quarter.
They’re short. They’re messy. They’re addictive. And they’re raking in billions.
Short dramas—bite-sized, soap-opera-style videos delivered through mobile apps—have exploded globally.
Typically made up of 1-3 minute episodes with low budgets, fast pacing, and outrageous plot twists, these micro-dramas are designed to be scrolled, binge-watched, and paid for, often behind a paywall.
And in Q1 2025, they went stratospheric.
$3.3 billion in three months
According to new data from DataEye, global short drama apps pulled in ¥24 billion (~$3.3B) in Q1 2025, driven by a holiday content boom, a flood of new platforms, and relentless ad campaigns.
That’s up 23% from Q4 2024, with downloads jumping 64% to 259 million.
In other words: people aren’t just watching. They’re paying.
Three key drivers powered the surge:
Holiday binge windows (Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s)
1.27 million ad creatives flooding TikTok, Meta, and other platforms
New apps entering the fray with fresh content and aggressive spend
Where the money is
📈 Top markets by revenue:
United States – $162M
Japan – $32.2M
Southeast Asia – $30.6M
Together, those three accounted for 67% of global short drama app revenue.
📲 Top markets by downloads: