PRODUCT RESEARCH
Melolo
This research note is kept separate from the app profile so the main page stays focused on ranking data.
One-line positioning
Melolo is ByteDance's first overseas short-drama product, operated through the Singapore entity Poligon Pte. Ltd., and follows a free-to-watch, ad-supported (IAA) model that mirrors the domestic Hongguo platform. Launched in Indonesia and the Philippines in November 2024, it has expanded to about 30 countries and regions and ranks among the leading free short-drama apps overseas.
Product & company
Store listings and the privacy policy identify Poligon Pte. Ltd. (Singapore; ACRA registration 202042231M) as Melolo's overseas publisher and operating entity. Multiple authoritative media outlets - KrASIA, the South China Morning Post, Mashable, 36Kr/Tech Planet and the Securities Times - link Melolo and its operator Poligon to ByteDance, describing Poligon as ByteDance's Singapore subsidiary. However, direct equity linkage between Poligon and ByteDance is not yet visible in public registry records (Singapore ACRA). We therefore mark the relationship as related but still subject to further verification.
Business model & format
Melolo centers on one-to-two-minute vertical live-action short dramas across CEO romance, revenge, werewolf, wealthy-family, romance and fantasy tropes; the early episodes are free and later ones are unlocked by watching ads. Its core monetization is in-app advertising (IAA), replicating ByteDance's domestic Hongguo model of acquiring users for free first and monetizing through ads. The app also runs a coin system (watch, check-in, refer) that rewards users. Content began as dubbed titles and later shifted to local originals and adaptations of Fizzo novel IP, covering Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, English, Spanish, Portuguese and more languages.
Growth & market
Melolo acquires users through paid buying on Meta (Facebook/Instagram), Pangle, AdMob and TikTok, with early spending conservative and concentrated in Southeast Asia. Downloads reached only about 1.32 million in its first three months, but third-party estimates put cumulative global downloads above 46 million by end-2025, with roughly 48% quarter-on-quarter growth in Q1 2026 and about a 3.55% overseas short-drama market share in 2025. Store rankings: Google Play #2 in Indonesia, #3-5 in Thailand, #9-10 in the Philippines and #10 in Brazil. Under Poligon, ByteDance pairs Melolo (free) with LimeShorts/PikoShow/PineDrama (paid or regional tests) in a free-funnel-plus-paid-experiment combo.
Risks & watchpoints
Melolo is suitable for public listing, but the page should note that the equity link between the overseas operator Poligon Pte. Ltd. and ByteDance is not yet directly shown in public registries, and we keep a pending-verification note. Worth watching: local-original production capacity versus competitive pressure from FreeReels, NetShort and Micro Drama; content quality and compliance (restricted in some markets); and ByteDance's patience with overseas short dramas plus possible changes to how Poligon splits its products (Melolo/LimeShorts/PikoShow/PineDrama).