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Key Insights
The largest overseas market, contributing over 60% of global in-app purchase revenue
As the world’s largest revenue market for short dramas, the U.S. demonstrates strong market vitality and significant commercial potential. In 2024, in-app purchase revenue from short drama apps in the U.S. reached nearly $300 million, accounting for over 60% of the total global market. The revenue per download (RPD) is as high as $4.7.
Penetration rate of streaming subscriptions reaches 75%; users exhibit mature payment habits and strong spending power, and place a premium on payment experience
U.S. users exhibit high willingness to pay for digital content, with a streaming subscription penetration rate of 75%. A variety of monetisation models coexist, including subscriptions, content unlocking, and top-ups. Coupled with mature payment methods like credit cards, e-wallets, and Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL), a complete commercial ecosystem has been established. Users increasingly demand seamless and convenient payment processes. Short drama platforms and merchants can leverage Antom’s global payment solution to integrate mainstream U.S. payment methods with a single click. This ensures compliance and stability while eliminating transaction friction and delivering a seamless payment experience.
Social media viral marketing is the core user acquisition channel; ad-driven downloads account for over 60% of total downloads
U.S. short drama platforms primarily rely on ad-driven downloads, with monetisation achieved through subsequent in-app purchases. Social media platforms like TikTok serve as key channels for viral content distribution, significantly enhancing user reach and engagement. The prevailing marketing strategy is shifting from standalone viral ads to multi-dimensional community interaction, such as collaborating with local influencers and KOLs to drive word-of-mouth promotion and achieve a “content as advertising” effect.
Web novel IP paves the way for market education, accelerating user mindset cultivation
Chinese web novel IPs expanding overseas have provided a rich content foundation and user mindset cultivation for the U.S. short drama market. Hit short dramas often align with popular web novel themes, creating a positive feedback loop between content supply and user expectations, thereby driving rapid market growth. In terms of genres, U.S. users show a strong preference for comedies and dramas, with themes like vampires and werewolves gaining significant popularity.
Key Questions:
Who are the major players in the market and how are Chinese overseas companies performing?
What is the potential market size for short dramas in the United States?
Are there any successful cases of localised operations and marketing?
Current landscape of the U.S. short drama industry
1.1 Development stage: mature market entering steady growth phase
In 2020, the vertical short-form video platform Quibi boldly entered the market with the positioning of a “Hollywood for Mobile”. However, due to unclear positioning and weak distribution capabilities, it ceased operations just six months after launch. Starting in 2022, some Chinese content teams began experimenting with exporting popular “micro-dramas” overseas by directly translating them and launching on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. The content mainly consisted of low-cost translated dramas with rough production quality, and the business model was not yet mature. Lacking localised adaptation, these works often suffered from significant cultural barriers, resulting in limited user acceptance and generally lukewarm market response.
2023 marked the first year of explosive growth for the U.S. short drama market. Professional short drama platforms such as ReelShort and DramaBox were successively launched, and content production began shifting toward localised adaptation. Breakout hits emerged, led by The Billionaire’s Secret, which generated over $1 million in revenue from a single title. In November 2023, ReelShort ranked No. 3 in downloads on the U.S. iOS overall chart, achieving explosive user growth and marking the industry’s entry into a rapid growth phase.
By 2024, the market landscape had begun to take shape, with top platforms such as ReelShort and DramaBox taking leading positions. Traditional streaming platforms also started adding dedicated short drama sections. Small and mid-sized Hollywood studios began engaging in short drama production. AIGC (AI-generated content) technologies were widely applied to script generation and post-production processes, significantly enhancing production efficiency.
1.2 Market size: U.S. short drama app revenue approaching $300 million in 2024
Since the second half of 2023, the U.S. short drama market has experienced explosive growth, becoming the core growth engine of the global short drama industry. In 2024, the total number of downloads of U.S. short drama apps hit 59.055 million, accounting for 11.39% of global downloads, ranking third worldwide. In Q1 2025, U.S. downloads reached 30.809 million, an increase of approximately 108.62% compared with the quarterly average in 2024, reflecting a significant expansion in user base and market activity.
U.S. short drama app downloads, Q1 2024–Q1 2025
Source: Diandian Data, Short Drama Study Room
Beyond strong download performance, short drama apps in the U.S. have also seen rapid revenue growth. In 2024, total revenue in the U.S. short drama market reached approximately $295 million, accounting for around 60% of global revenue, securing its position as the world’s largest revenue-generating market. In Q1 2025, U.S. revenue reached $107.1 million, an increase of about 6.65% compared to the 2024 quarterly average, showing continued steady growth momentum.
U.S. short drama app revenue, Q1 2024–Q1 2025
Source: Diandian Data, Short Drama Study Room
In-app purchase revenue of short drama apps by country, Q1 2025
Source: Diandian Data
According to Diandian Data, from August 2023 to June 2024, the average revenue per download (RPD) in the North American short drama market was approximately $4.70, far exceeding the global average of $2.00. This indicates that the U.S. market not only has a large user base but also strong willingness to pay, making it the most valuable region for short drama globalisation.
RPD comparison in short drama markets across different regions, 2024
Source: Diandian Data
Leading overseas short drama platforms such as DramaBox, ShortMax, and ReelShort have performed particularly well in the U.S. market. According to Sensor Tower, the top three apps, ReelShort, DramaBox, and GoodShort, generated 69%, 57%, and 66% of their total revenues respectively from the U.S. market. Moreover, the average revenue per download in the U.S. for ReelShort and DramaBox was six times higher than in other regions, highlighting both the strong payment ability of U.S. users and the high-value characteristics of the market.
Regional revenue share of leading U.S. short drama apps, February 2024
Source: Sensor Tower
