How China’s short-video streamers are reshaping Latin America’s media

Latin America’s media landscape is being reshaped by a new crop of entertainment producers as short drama platforms, often with business ties to China, command an increasingly larger share of the region’s video streaming market.

According to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower‘State of Mobile 2026 report The demand for short series released last week is leading to a “structural shift in consumers’ attention” with the development of such content in Latin America.

Globally, downloads of short drama platforms rose 186% year-on-year to 733 million in the fourth quarter of 2025. netflix Disney+ 658 million, according to the report.

Short dramas, also known as “micro” or “mini” dramas, refer to vertically shot series that typically feature episodes no longer than three minutes.

“The appeal of short series lies in their ability to deliver emotional intensity and stimulation, which is what has allowed the format to grow in popularity so quickly,” says Wenjia Tang, a research fellow at the University of Sydney’s Department of Media and Communications.

First popularized in China on short-form content-sharing apps like TikTok’s sister app Douyin and Kuaishou, short dramas have gained international attention, with popular platforms like ReelShort and DramaBox now producing dubbed content in English, Spanish and French, among others.

While short dramas are expected to meet increasingly higher standards of production quality and professionalism, their original narrative style has been largely retained, offering low-effort, low-commitment entertainment that requires neither deep thought nor sustained attention, Tang told CNBC.

According to Seema Shah, VP of Sensor Tower Insights, such content is often “easier to digest” for consumers accustomed to watching short-form content like TikTok videos and Instagram reels, as opposed to long-form content on streaming platforms like Netflix.

Sensor Tower reports that while there has been a significant increase in consumption of short drama content globally, Latin America “has emerged as the fastest growing region in terms of engagement” with these videos.

According to Shah, the number of downloads of the top 20 short drama apps in Latin America increased by approximately 402% annually in 2025, on top of a 4,300% annual increase compared to 2024.

Not only do Latin American users largely consume entertainment content on mobile phones, but there are also strong similarities between short dramas and short series. telenovelas It is a series of drama genres popular in Latin American countries, according to Maria Rua Aguete, Media and Entertainment Manager at research firm Omdia.

Owner of ReelShort Crazy Maple StudioIt is a content creation and distribution organization founded in San Francisco in 2017. Although it has offices in Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, Crazy Maple Studio remains a Silicon Valley subsidiary. COL Digital Publishing Group – A Chinese media conglomerate.

Similarly, officially It is managed by Singapore-based Storymatrix Pte. According to Ltd, DramaBox’s content remains the intellectual property of DianZhong Technology in China. copyright infringement claim That he filed a lawsuit against Crazy Maple Studio in 2025.

ReelShort and DramaBox are part of a number of entertainment companies vying for a share of Latin America’s growing video streaming market.

Omdia estimates that the total revenue generated by the Latin American market will grow by 9.1% between 2024 and 2025; This is more than three times the growth in income in the United States over the same period. This growth is expected to reach 10.7% in 2026.

Latin America’s expanding middle class is driving demand for short video streaming as well as retail and ride-sharing services, according to Shah.

Short drama platforms aren’t the only ones benefiting from the growing Latin American market. The region is also a key source of revenue growth for streaming giants such as Netflix, which saw the fastest revenue growth in Latin America on a currency-neutral basis in Q4 2025. earnings report.

While download figures for short series platforms are starting to surpass those of long-standing providers, experts do not see these new short video streaming platforms as a credible threat to market leaders like Netflix.

“Not now, and that’s not their goal. They target different audiences, and the way they make profits is different,” Tang told CNBC.

According to Omdia’s Rua Aguete, although short drama platforms have lower production costs and can produce content at a much higher rate than traditional studios, their business models are often dependent on advertising revenue and pay-per-view revenue; This does not necessarily mean higher margins.

Omdia estimates that the total revenue of all short series streaming platforms produced outside of China will be $3 billion in 2026. In comparison, Netflix reported revenue of $12 billion in Q4 2025.

However, as demand for short drama content grows in Latin America and beyond, these platforms are likely to create an increasingly diversified video streaming market.

“I don’t believe short drama apps can completely replace streaming. But they do create additional competition for consumers’ attention and dollars,” says Sensor Tower’s Shah.