Mr Hu says it is becoming more important for developers and publishers to attract users and keep them engaged.
TikTok is expanding into its next growth phase by integrating short-form dramas and gaming, aiming to capture consumer engagement within the "attention economy" while providing game and content publishers and advertisers with new monetisation channels.Short dramas have emerged as one of the fastest-growing mobile entertainment categories, securing 2.26 billion global downloads in 2025, mainly in Southeast Asia, according to Sensor Tower data.
Boston Consulting Group projects the global video gaming market will reach US$350 billion by 2030.
"People worldwide have an average of 80 apps installed on their phones, but they use less than 10 of them. Artificial intelligence [AI] has made it easier to create apps, dropping development time from six months to 1-3 months, but user retention is plummeting, with app churn rates hitting 80-90% after just one day, especially in gaming," said Chew Wee, head of global business marketing Asia-Pacific at TikTok.
According to a Kantar media reactions report, TikTok ranks No.1 in driving consumer attention.
