Singapore: Global short drama app downloads surged 95.5% year-on-year to reach 1.45 billion in the first half of 2026, driven largely by emerging markets, according to Mintegral’s H2 2026 Global Non-Gaming App Trends Report, developed in partnership with advertising intelligence platform Insightrackr.
The report noted that global non-gaming app downloads reached 47.5 billion in H1 2026, registering a 16.6% year-on-year growth. While Utilities and Entertainment remained the largest categories by download volume, Short Drama emerged as one of the fastest-growing verticals during the period.
Emerging markets accounted for 83% of global Short Drama downloads. Southeast Asia led with 518 million downloads, followed by Latin America with 355 million and APAC with 330 million. Europe, America and the Middle East together accounted for the remaining 17%.
The report also highlighted the monetisation landscape for Short Drama apps. Hybrid monetisation accounted for 57.6% of the sector, followed by in-app advertising (IAA)-only models at 39.9%, while pure in-app purchase (IAP) models represented 2.5%.
Video advertising formats recorded strong yields, with Rewarded Video ads generating 11.4 times the Android baseline eCPM, while Interstitial Video reached 7.8 times the baseline.
Short Drama also emerged as the leading sector in terms of creative competition, recording a creative density of 1,887. The number of active advertising apps grew 132%, while ad creatives increased 151%, with both metrics more than doubling.
At the same time, global cost per install (CPI) averaged 2.3 times the Android baseline. Regional variations were significant, with CPI ranging from 0.9 times the baseline in Southeast Asia to 5.9 times in Europe.
The report said the rapid growth of the category does not necessarily translate into efficient growth. It identified four interconnected factors that publishers and advertisers should evaluate before scaling: market demand, advertising competition, acquisition cost and monetisation potential.
“The non-gaming app landscape is undergoing rapid transformation,” said Erick Fang, CEO of Mintegral. “Publishers who combine automated, ROI-based user acquisition with engaging ad formats are finding ways to balance massive scale with long-term profitability.”
The findings underscore the growing importance of emerging markets, creative investment and monetisation strategies in shaping the next phase of growth for short drama and the broader non-gaming app ecosystem.
