Chinese short-drama apps overtake Tving, Coupang Play in new downloads

Chinese short-drama platforms swept the top rankings for new entertainment app installations in Korea last month, overtaking domestic OTT services such as Tving and Coupang Play within just three months. The rapid rise of Chinese short-drama apps has heightened tensions across Korea's OTT industry.

Short dramas consist of brief episodes running one to three minutes each. They quickly establish conflict from the outset and pack in dramatic twists in rapid succession to keep viewers watching the next episode. As short dramas have spread, some viewers have begun saying things like, "A 12-episode drama is too long now," or "I watched one episode and stopped there."

According to Mobile Index on Thursday, Chinese short-drama platforms claimed all of the top three spots in new entertainment app installations in Korea in August. DramaWave ranked first with 840,000 installs, followed by NetShort with 800,000 and DramaBox with 740,000.

The figures show a gap of nearly 200,000 installs compared with domestic OTT platforms. Tving ranked fifth with 570,000 installs, while Coupang Play came in sixth with 540,000.

The reversal has drawn particular attention because the rankings looked completely different just three months ago. In May, Korea's own OTT platforms dominated the top spots, with Coupang Play first at 470,000 installs and Tving second at 420,000. NetShort followed in fourth place with 340,000, and DramaBox ranked fifth with 320,000.

Industry watchers say Chinese operators, having already established production and monetization formulas amid the rapid growth of short-form content, are now moving to dominate the Korean market as well. They are expanding into overseas markets by supplying large volumes of content quickly through mass-production expertise and combining freemium models with advertising-based revenue.

In fact, China's short-drama market has already grown to a scale rivaling its film industry. According to the "China Micro-Short Drama Industry Development White Paper" published by the China Netcasting Services Association, China's short-drama market was estimated at about 50 billion yuan ($7.46 billion), or roughly 10 trillion won ($7.47 billion), in 2024 — surpassing the country's film box office revenue for the same year.

DramaWave's parent company, Kunlun Tech, disclosed in June that the global monthly transaction volume of its AI short-drama business had surpassed $65 million.

Korea's OTT industry is also on edge over the rapid rise of Chinese short-drama apps. "Until last year, short dramas were widely viewed as a niche market distinct from existing OTT services, but the recent pace of growth has changed the picture," an industry official said. "Chinese companies have already established their production methods and revenue models and are rapidly expanding into the Korean market, leaving domestic operators with no choice but to consider their own response strategies."