Douyin Group Launches Free Short Drama App With Ad-Supported Model

Douyin Group has officially launched a new app called Free Short Drama, offering a large library of free short dramas across genres including urban action, romance, workplace relationships, comeback stories, fantasy, and xianxia. According to ChainCatcher, this is the group’s fourth standalone short drama app, following three earlier releases, excluding its comic-drama app. The app includes two ways to browse content: an immersive vertical single-feed viewing mode and a theater section for category filtering and library browsing. Playback pages support likes, favorites, full-episode access, and variable-speed playback. The theater section includes tags such as new releases, underdogs, tragic romance, and modern romance, along with filters for era background and plot themes. The app also uses a coin-based rewards system. New users can earn coins through daily check-ins and viewing tasks, exchange them for cash, and withdraw funds via Alipay. It does not include a membership payment option and follows a free, ad-supported model.