Microdramas Overtake Streamers on Mobile Engagement, Says Omdia

Rhea-AI Impact

(Moderate)

Rhea-AI Sentiment

(Very Positive)

Key Terms

arpu financial

ARPU, or Average Revenue Per User, measures how much money a company earns, on average, from each of its customers over a set period. It helps investors understand how effectively a business is generating income from its customer base, similar to calculating how much each customer spends at a store. Higher ARPU often indicates stronger sales per customer and better revenue performance.

avod financial

AVOD stands for ad-supported video-on-demand, a streaming business model where viewers watch shows or movies for free or low cost while ads play during the content. For investors it matters because this model trades higher audience reach and faster user growth for lower revenue per viewer and greater dependence on advertising rates and ad-selling performance, much like a free newspaper that earns money from ads rather than subscriptions.

02/23/2026 - 01:11 AM

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Microdramas are rapidly emerging as one of the fastest-scaling formats in online video. Omdia analysis of mobile usage data shows that in the US users now spend more time per day watching microdramas on mobile apps than they do watching Netflix, Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video on mobile devices.

In the US: Microdrama Apps Have Higher Daily Usage than Amazon, Netflix or Disney on Mobile Devices (Q4 2025)

Omdia estimates global microdrama revenues reached $11 billion in 2025 and will grow to $14 billion by the end of 2026. Of that, $3 billion will be generated outside China, with the US now the largest international market.

By 2026, the US will account for 50% of all microdrama revenues outside China, reaching $1.5 billion, underlining the format’s rapid global expansion.

“Microdramas are no longer a niche experiment. They are becoming a core driver of mobile video engagement,” said Maria Rua Aguete, Head of Media and Entertainment at Omdia speaking at MIP London. “What stands out is not just revenue growth, but the intensity of usage. On mobile, microdrama apps are generating more daily viewing time than the world’s biggest streaming platforms.”

Microdramas outperform streamers on daily minutes watched

Typically, one to two minutes long, vertically formatted and mobile first, microdramas primarily target women aged 25 to 45, although new genres are trying to reach more male and other new audiences too.

Discovery is driven through platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

Omdia’s analysis of Q4 2025 mobile usage data from Sensor Tower shows that in the US, microdrama apps such as ReelShort generate higher daily mobile viewing time than major streaming services:

ReelShort: 35.7 minutes per user per day
Netflix: 24.8 minutes
Amazon Prime Video: 26.9 minutes
Disney+: 23.0 minutes

While Netflix continues to lead in monthly active mobile users in the US, with around 12 million compared with 1.1 million for ReelShort, engagement intensity tells a different story.

“Microdramas are winning the battle for attention, rather than scale, at least for now,” Aguete added. “This is the metric streamers care about most as they look to grow mobile usage and compete with social video platforms where daily engagement is approaching 80 minutes.”

With companies like YouTube engaging audiences on mobiles and now also on the TV set, streamers like Netflix or Disney need vertical and short content to drive engagement on mobile phones.

Global Momentum and Market Expansion

The microdrama trend is accelerating in international markets:

UK: FlickReels generates higher daily usage than Amazon Prime Video (22.39 minutes vs. 21.47 minutes).
Mexico: DramaBox outpaces Amazon Prime Video (27.9 minutes vs. 23.8 minutes) and Disney+ (22.5 minutes).

Traditional media players are also adapting to this shift. Platforms like TelevisaUnivision’s ViX in Mexico and GloboPlay in Brazil are embedding short-form serial content within AVOD and freemium ecosystems, leveraging microdramas to boost engagement and reach.

Strategic implications for global streamers

Omdia’s analysis suggests that global streamers including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ face increasing pressure to close the mobile engagement gap with social platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, where users spend nearly 80 minutes per day.

“Vertical video strategies, including microdramas, are becoming a logical next step for streamers that want to increase mobile usage without cannibalizing their long-form premium content,” Aguete concluded. “Microdramas are not replacing TV or streaming, but they are reshaping how audiences consume storytelling on mobile.”

Bundling Opportunities for Telcos

Microdramas are also an opportunity for telcos, by offering them a unique structural opportunity beyond just a content trend. These mobile-first, snackable videos are highly addictive, low-cost, and optimized for daily engagement—perfect for mobile consumption.

As telcos face challenges like ARPU pressure, commoditized connectivity, churn, and heavy 5G investments, microdramas could serve as:

A bundled value-add
A churn reduction tool
An ad-funded partnership opportunity
A data-driven engagement engine

Microdramas are reshaping mobile video consumption, creating new opportunities for telcos, streamers, and content creators alike.

ABOUT OMDIA

Omdia, part of TechTarget, Inc. d/b/a Informa TechTarget (Nasdaq: TTGT), is a technology research and advisory group. Our deep knowledge of tech markets grounded in real conversations with industry leaders and hundreds of thousands of data points, make our market intelligence our clients’ strategic advantage. From R&D to ROI, we identify the greatest opportunities and move the industry forward.