Research |
Survey: Short Drama popularity rising in UK
Short Drama is rapidly emerging
as a key entertainment format
but is it moving from social
media novelty to a genuine
competitor for audiences’
viewing time and spend?
Research from Snap and Ipsos
that suggests it is …
A survey of 1,000 UK daily
social media users aged 18 – 49
found that 31 % of Short Drama
viewers are already watching
daily, 44 % are familiar with
Short Drama platforms, and
81 % express an interest in
watching in future. And despite
episodes lasting just minutes,
the research points to audiences
developing deeper viewing
habits around the format.
Additional survey highlights:
Short episodes don’ t mean
short attention
Among daily Snapchatters who
watch Short Dramas:
• 40 % watch daily vs 23 per
cent of non-Snapchatters
• They’ re 1.4x more likely
to watch for 30 + minutes at
a time
• 57 % of longer-term viewers
say they’ re watching more
Short Drama content than a
year ago
Social is fuelling the format
After enjoying a Short Drama
clip across social / video
platforms:
• 65 % are likely to share it
with friends and family
• 63 % are likely to talk about
the show in person
• 58 % are likely to post a
reaction or comment to their
story
Discovery is social too:
recommendations from friends
and family( 27 %), high-energy
trailers( 26 %) and influencer
reviews / recommendations( 17
per cent) can all prompt viewers
to try a Short Drama.
Cliffhanger is king
The research also reveals the
creative formula pulling viewers
in. Among Snapchatters who
watch or engage with Short
Dramas:
• 48 % want to see the reveal
of a secret
• 41 % respond to clips
ending at a shocking or
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tense moment
• 43 % are drawn in when a
clip starts at a peak moment
• 45 % say short episodes
make it easy to watch“ one
more”
Popular genres include:
Billionaire / CEO Romance, Family
Conflicts, Hidden Identity /
Undercover, Dark Romance and
Suspense / Mystery Thrillers.
Viewers are willing to pay
Among daily Snapchatters:
• 54 % spend monthly on
Short Dramas
• They’ re 1.6x more likely
than non-Snapchatters to
prefer buying coins or credits
to unlock episodes
• They’ re 1.3x more
likely to prefer a recurring
subscription
Analysis: Sweden’ s streaming growth cools
The number of streaming
subscriptions in Sweden rose
sharply throughout 2025,
reaching around 11 million by
the end of the first quarter of
2026 – before growth stalled
in the second quarter, marking
the first quarter without growth
in over two years, according to
analysis from Mediavision.
“ We’ ve seen an extraordinary
growth period across the
Nordics, driven largely by steep
price cuts through ad-supported
subscriptions. But the second
quarter in Sweden is a reminder
that subscriber growth is
maturing,” commented Fredrik
Liljeqvist, Principal Analyst at
Mediavision.
Growth has been driven
mainly by lower-priced, adsupported
services – such a
subscription costs an average
of SEK 75(€ 6.77) per month,
compared to SEK 126 for an adfree
service, a difference of 40 %.
The lower price has opened the
door to new customer segments
but has at the same time
pushed down average revenue
per user( ARPU) by 5 % over the
past year.
“ Introducing lower prices
has worked to win new
customers, but it is unlikely to
be a sustainable strategy for
healthy growth on its own. We
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see clear signs of maturity in
Sweden, and the other Nordic
markets have followed a similar
pattern of ad-supported growth.
As that growth slows, the
challenge shifts from winning
new customers to creating more
value from the ones already
there,” added Liljeqvist.
Digital Content key to UK creative economy
ScreenSkills and the BBC
have co-published a report
highlighting the opportunities
and challenges currently facing
the UK’ s rapidly evolving Digital
Content Creator( DCC) sector.
The study, Creator Skills:
Progression, Provision and
Priorities, conducted by
global Creative Industries
consultancy Olsberg • SPI,
engaged with DCCs and UK
screen industry representatives
across the UK Nations and
Regions to understand how
creator skills compare to film
and television sector skills.
The research centres around
creator engagement, with the
report’ s findings grounded in
the experiences and realities of
DCCs.
The report shows growing
convergence between the film
and television sector and the
creator community, with a
need to support cross-sector
transition for DCCs into film
and television work and film
and television professionals into
digital-first production.
The study also explores how
the film and television industry,
alongside creator-sector bodies
and government, can convene
to support the UK creator sector
to enable them to progress,
scale and build sustainable
creative content businesses for
the future.
Key findings:
• Many creators develop
their skills through informal,
practice-based learning and
peer mentoring rather than
formal training.
• Digital platforms provide
a lower geographical barrier
to creator career entry across
the UK Nations and Regions
in comparison to television
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and film, but access to film and television entry networks can still be skewed towards London and bigger cities.
• Creators require a range of creative, business, technical and transversal skills to succeed. While technical production skills, such as video recording and editing, are fundamental, platform literacy, storytelling, twoway communication with audiences and resilience are critical skills setting successful creators apart.
• The DCC and film and television sectors share many core creative and technical skills, although many of these are applied differently in practice.
• Legal, IP, financial and employment-management skills become more important as creators scale, particularly when they enter commercial partnerships, hire teams and seek to protect their original formats.
• Online safety, harassment, isolation and wellbeing pressures are major challenges in sustaining creator careers, especially when audience growth occurs rapidly without appropriate support structures. Lisa Opie, ScreenSkills Executive Chair, commented:“ The Digital Content Creator sector plays a significant part in the UK screen and creative economy, contributing more than £ 2.2 billion to UK GDP and supporting thousands of jobs. This report shows that it’ s crucial for the film and TV industry to convene and continue to champion DCCs in the same way we support talent development and training within the wider screen industry, to enable DCCs to build lifelong transversal skills and secure future growth in the sector. While the screen industry has really embraced the DCC community over recent years, this study identifies the need for skills training in safeguarding and business best practices can be put in place for the future.”
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