Asia-Pacific short drama apps surge as sessions jump 452%

Adjust has published research on short drama apps in Asia-Pacific, identifying the region as one of the format's fastest-growing markets.

Sessions across Asia-Pacific rose 452% year on year, while the region recorded the highest revenue per monthly active user globally at USD $1.45. According to the report, that figure was up 263% from the previous year.

The findings point to growing use of short-form scripted video apps built around episodes lasting one to two minutes. These services are developing alongside traditional streaming platforms rather than displacing them, as viewers turn to mobile content during commutes, breaks and late-night phone use.

Globally, installs of short drama apps increased 238%, the report found. The category generated 2.3 billion downloads in 2025, with downloads up 186% year on year by the fourth quarter and time spent in the apps rising 311% over the same period.

Independent market research cited in the study suggests the growth is not limited to one or two markets. A report by Omdia, cited by Deadline, said platforms including DramaBox, GoodShort, ReelShort and ShortMax have seen rapid take-up in countries including the Philippines and Indonesia.

Changing habits

The data adds to evidence that mobile entertainment consumption is becoming more fragmented throughout the day. Short drama apps are built around brief viewing sessions, giving developers a format that fits small windows of time rather than longer scheduled viewing.

That shift also has commercial implications. Higher revenue per monthly active user in Asia-Pacific suggests audiences in the region are not only downloading these apps but also spending within them faster than users elsewhere.

For app publishers and marketers, the report argues that install numbers alone provide only a partial picture of performance. Session growth, retention and repeat use are becoming more important metrics as companies try to understand whether users are forming habits around these services.

Adjust framed the trend as part of a broader change in mobile entertainment, with attention spread across multiple short interactions during the day. This makes it more important to identify which user experiences lead to repeat engagement and longer-term loyalty.

April Tayson, Regional Vice President for INSEAU at Adjust, commented on the trend in user behaviour.

"Entertainment is becoming increasingly diversified across the day. Consumers are filling spare moments with short, engaging content, and short drama apps have been built specifically for those behaviors. As these viewing habits continue to evolve, marketers have an opportunity to better understand what captures attention, encourages repeat engagement, and turns casual viewers into loyal users," said Tayson.

The category has expanded quickly as app makers seek to package serialised storytelling in a form designed for smartphones. Unlike subscription video services built around longer episodes and films, short drama apps focus on compressed narratives and frequent user return.

That model may help explain why engagement has become a central measure for the sector. A user who watches several times a day in short bursts can generate significant session activity even if each visit lasts only a few minutes.

Asia-Pacific's position at the top of revenue per monthly active user will be watched closely by developers and advertisers assessing where the strongest monetisation opportunities may lie. The region has large mobile-first populations and a history of rapid adoption in digital entertainment, which may support further expansion of the format.

The report stops short of presenting short drama as a replacement for mainstream streaming. Instead, it presents the apps as a distinct layer of viewing behaviour shaped by smartphones, shorter attention windows and the growing value of spare moments in the daily media routine.

For marketers, the message is that the sector's economics will depend on what happens after an install. The strongest signal in the data may be that viewers are returning often enough to lift both session volumes and user spending in Asia-Pacific.