Short drama( bite-sized serialised video content designed for mobile consumption) is now one of the fastest-growing subscription app categories globally, with paid installs up 155 % year-over-year. Audiences in India and LATAM, in particular, are driving the growth.

At the same time, Android paid installs now make up the majority of all Android installs for the first time, reflecting a wave of new paying consumers in emerging markets that is reshaping the global app economy.

Additional findings from the State of Subscriptions for Marketers 2026:

• Short drama and OTT [ over-thetop ] & live streaming are where consumer appetite is strongest, and both are dominated by a handful of players. Together they drove 73 % of net Android paid install growth. The top five apps in each category control over 90 % of spend, a level of concentration that leaves little room for new entrants regardless of budget.

• Short drama is taking off around the world, but the pace varies sharply by market. Germany led with 210 % year-over-year growth in the number of app downloads, followed by Turkey at 171 % and Mexico at 170 %. In the UK, appetite grew by a more modest 36 %. Much of this growth is being driven by aggressive marketing rather than organic discovery, with over 60 % of all short drama installs now coming from paid channels, up 25 % year-over-year.

• How consumers pay for apps is diverging by category. OTT & Live Streaming is consolidating around pure subscription, with its subscription-only share rising from 53 % to 62 %. Short drama is moving the other way, with ad-supported revenue growing from near zero to 7.4 % as consumers in fast-growing markets prefer to watch ads rather than pay. Gaming is shifting away from advertising toward in-app purchases, with that share up 25 %, even as overall spend in the category falls.

• Consumers in emerging markets are fuelling subscription app growth. Overall subscription app user acquisition spend grew 24 % yearover-year, with Android growing at four times the rate of iOS. The Indian Subcontinent accounted for 49 % of net Android paid install growth and LATAM a further 18 %, while North America was essentially flat.

• Free trials tell very different stories depending on the app. Gaming pulls the most users into free trials at 12.2 %, but only 19 % go on to pay. Education and lifestyle convert over 40 % of trialists, suggesting those apps deliver enough value within the trial to justify the cost. Health and fitness consumers are the most decisive, with many paying upfront without a trial, particularly in Western Europe. x www. intelligentcxo. com

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