How ReelShort turned ad-supported viewing into a growth engine

ReelShort is a global short-drama platform built for mobile, with vertical episodes and cliffhangers that keep viewers coming back. Its breakout series The Double Life of My Billionaire Husband has attracted approximately 450 million views worldwide, demonstrating the global reach of the format. ⓘ

That engagement supports two revenue paths: viewers can pay to unlock the next episode or watch an ad to continue. As ReelShort scaled, it saw an opportunity to bring more of its ad-supported viewer value into acquisition—and partnered with Moloco to make it possible.

The growth opportunity extended beyond paid unlocks

As ReelShort grew, it wanted its acquisition strategy to recognize the value of every viewer—not only those who paid. Viewers choosing the ad-supported path could continue watching, return for more episodes, and generate in-app advertising revenue over time. An IAP-only view could underrepresent that contribution.

ReelShort and Moloco connected viewer value to acquisition

ReelShort brought a deep understanding of how paying and ad-supported viewers engaged with its stories. Moloco connected the advertising revenue generated after install to the signals used for acquisition. With Moloco Dual ROAS evaluating IAP and IAA revenue together, ReelShort could optimize toward a more complete view of viewer value—while recognizing that different viewers created value in different ways.

Better visibility gave ReelShort confidence to scale

The results validated a new way to scale. Dual ROAS expanded from 1.5% to 40% of ReelShort’s UA spend, while weekly budget increased 2.35×. More importantly, the team gained a growth strategy that better reflected how viewers engaged with ReelShort and the value they created.
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“For us, Moloco is more than an ad platform. They’ve become a growth partner.”
— Vera Liu, Head of UA, ReelShort

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