ReelShort, the U.S.-based microdrama app that has become one of the format’s global leaders, has struck a distribution deal with Globe, a major Philippine telecom operator. The pact is ReelShort’s second Southeast Asian carrier tie-up in two months, as it aggressively pursues the region’s mobile-first audiences. The partnership, unveiled at the APOS conference in Bali, will fold ReelShort’s library of soapy, bite-sized dramas into Globe’s offering for Filipino customers.
“Following the tremendous response we received in Thailand, partnering with Globe in the Philippines is a significant milestone in our regional growth strategy,” said Joey Jia, CEO of Crazy Maple Studio, ReelShort’s parent company.
Founded in 2022, ReelShort says it reaches more than 70 million monthly users across 100-plus countries, with a library of nearly 3,000 titles built on the genre’s staples — billionaire romances, revenge sagas and cliffhanger-driven melodrama. (One revenge hit, Bound by Honor, has drawn hundreds of millions of views, the platform says.) ReelShort made its name selling reasonably well-produced, English-language microdramas to Western audiences, a contrast to the Chinese platforms that pioneered the form. Crazy Maple Studio is headquartered in Silicon Valley but counts China’s COL Group as its largest outside shareholder, at a stake of roughly 49 percent.
The Southeast Asian push sees ReelShort face a crowded field, with China’s DramaBox its closest rival, as the top microdrama players rush to grab market share in fast-growing mobile markets. For all the breakneck user growth, though, the microdrama business has yet to prove broadly profitable, with heavy outlays on content and marketing weighing on many operators.
