Vigloo, a short drama platform operated by the content platform Spoonlabs, released a year-end settlement of account capturing 2025 short drama viewing trends.
Spoonlabs tallied statistics from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 last year and found that this year Vigloo users worldwide watched more than 5 million hours of short dramas. The core user base was women 35 and older, accounting for more than half of all viewing.
Romance was the overwhelming No. 1 genre. The top 10 most-viewed titles in major countries, including Korea, Japan and the United States, were all romance.
By country, in Korea and Japan, keywords such as "high stimulation," "cold city man," "kiss," "youth drama," and "makjang" proved popular. In the United States, keywords such as "high stimulation," "romantic," "chaebol," "fate," and "pure love" drew strong responses.
In Korea, short drama viewing time exceeded 2 million hours, and the main viewing window was found to be between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. A Spoonlabs official said, "Viewing in this time slot increased up to 1.8 times the daily average, and the unique immersion of short dramas that makes you watch 'just one more without stopping' appears to have created a late-night binge-watching culture."
On weekends, the number of viewers rose 15.5% compared with weekdays, and viewing time was 34% longer. It appears the weekend "binge-watching" culture has begun to apply to short dramas as well. The company said this suggests "short dramas are establishing themselves not as simple snack culture but as new everyday content that viewers immerse in and binge."
The short drama most binge-watched by Korean users was "Have To Share House 2," with "Obsessive Marriage," "Romantic Island," "Law Firm Ace Lawyer and Secretary," and "The Coffee Is Kind and the Boss Is Delicious" also ranking near the top. The average time to finish the top 10 titles was 1 hour 50 minutes, and the average completion rate was 95%.
Choi Hyuk-jae, CEO of Spoonlabs, said, "2025 was a meaningful year in which we, together with users, witnessed short dramas take root as new immersive content in daily life," adding, "This year, we will strengthen storytelling to present a more gripping short drama experience."
The global short drama market size is estimated at $721 million (about 10.6 trillion won) as of last year. As of 2024, global downloads of short drama apps increased 460%, and the market is growing rapidly. Keeping pace with this trend, Vigloo's third-quarter revenue last year increased 250% compared with the first quarter.