DataEye puts H1 2026 overseas microdrama app spending at $1.27bn

DataEye Research Institute estimates that microdrama apps in markets outside China took about $1.27bn in in-app purchase revenue across the App Store and Google Play in the first half of 2026, up about 13% year on year. The figure appears in its report on overseas short drama and AI drama for the half, published on 3 August 2026.

The scope is narrower than the headline number suggests. It covers all short drama rather than AI-generated titles alone; it excludes China; and it counts estimated app-store in-app purchases only, excluding web channels and advertising revenue. The report does not say whether the figure is gross or net of store commission. For context, the same report puts the full-year overseas market above $6bn.

The published revenue split does not reconcile. DataEye gives Chinese-origin apps about $1.182bn, or 93% of the market, and locally based overseas apps $70m, or 7%. The 93% is internally consistent, since $1.182bn is 93.1% of $1.27bn. The 7% is not: $70m is 5.5% of $1.27bn, and 7% would be $88.9m. The two components sum to $1.252bn against a stated $1.27bn.

DataEye also reports 1.441bn downloads for the half, up 79% year on year but 20% on the second half of 2025, split 1.221bn to Chinese-origin apps and 217m to local ones. Those shares of 85% and 15% are consistent with the stated total, though the two figures likewise sum slightly below it. The United States supplies about 4% of downloads, having slipped from fourth to seventh, while ranking among the top three revenue markets with Japan and Canada.