Episodes of one to two minutes, filmed for a screen held vertically, with an intrigue revived at each interruption: the microdramas built a specific market on smartphone. The figures published in 2026 show intense consumption among their users, without showing that they replaced the large video platforms.
ReelShort exceeds Netflix on a specific indicator
In its analysis of February 23, 2026, Omdia operates the U.S. mobile data for the last quarter of 2025. ReelShort reaches 35.7 minutes daily per user, compared to 24.8 minutes for Netflix and 26.9 minutes for Amazon Prime Video.
The comparison concerns mobile applications, not televisions or all screens. To this extent Netflix maintains a much larger monthly audience: about 12 million active users in the United States, compared to 1.1 million for ReelShorts. Intensity of use and audience size thus tell two different stories.
Omdia estimates the world market at $11 billion by 2025 and forecasts $14 billion by 2026. The latter amount remains a projection, covering several sources of revenue, not an annual turnover already recorded.
In the Middle East, many returns in applications
The 2026 report by Adjust, based on data from January 2025 to March 2026, sheds further light. In its sample, the Middle East and North Africa region reached 6.48 sessions per user on the thirtieth day after installation, the highest level of the regions compared.
But these frequent returns do not mean that all downloads become sustainable habits. Globally, the ratio is 15 per cent retention on day one and 2 per cent retention on day 30. The commitment of the remaining users should not be attributed to those who have abandoned the application.
A careful market, not a guaranteed recipe
The data forAdjust are aggregated and anonymised from the applications followed by the company. They do not necessarily cover the whole market. The report also distinguishes revenue per user and frequency of sessions: a highly consulted application does not automatically monetize each visit at the same level.
For producers and advertisers, the stakes thus exceed the number of downloads. It consists of bringing back an audience and financing that loyalty. Available comparisons describe defined markets and periods; They do not promise the same hearings or revenues to a future Lebanese series.
Comments