Digital i: Women 35-Plus Drive YouTube Micro-Drama Surge

New research from Digital i shows that micro-drama consumption on YouTube is driven by women aged 35-plus, with significant under-viewing from men in all age groups.

Engagement was measured in 20 countries: the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, the U.K., France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Poland, The Netherlands, Japan, South Korea and Australia. Digital i examined the demographic data of viewers to the official YouTube channels of popular micro-drama apps, including DramaBox, ReelShort, FlickReels, My Drama and CandyJar, during 2025.

Female YouTube users spent a higher proportion of their time on these micro-drama channels than their typical overall YouTube usage. Female users aged 35 to 44 accounted for 11.5 percent of all streams in the measured countries last year, but 20.8 percent of streams to the five micro-drama channels previously mentioned. The 45-to-54 female age group also showed heavy engagement, with 15.7 percent of streams to the channels coming from this demographic, more than double their 7.7 percent share of overall YouTube streams.

The reverse was true for male YouTube users. Males aged 18 to 24 represented 13.7 percent of all YouTube streaming activity but only 6 percent of streams to these micro-drama channels.

Digital i also found that YouTube users who viewed content on these micro-drama channels watched more content on the platform overall last year. While a typical user watched an average of 10.9 standard videos and 14.7 Shorts per day during 2025, viewers of those five micro-drama channels watched 13.8 standard videos and 21.5 Shorts per day.

“Our latest research provides a major insight into how specific demographics are migrating toward ultra-short-form scripted content,” said Digital i analyst Sam Vahdati. “The fact that women over 35 are not only heavily over-engaging with micro-drama channels but that viewers of these channels are also significantly more active across the entire YouTube platform demonstrates the power of this content as an overall engagement driver.

“Understanding these high-engagement viewers is essential for navigating an increasingly fragmented global market.”