The Vertical Drama Gamble of a Kyiv Studio
Holywater was not founded as a TV operation. The studio was founded in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2020 by Bogdan Nesvit and Anatolii Kasianov, and its range of products still reads more like a lab for mobile entertainment than reels shorts tv a streaming service. My Drama is listed next to My Passion for books, My Muse for AI and FreeBits. This breadth matters, since video is one consumer product among several for Holywater, not its whole identity. Eventually, the company wagered on the vertical drama, a style that began in China as duanju and is shot 9:16 for a phone held vertically. Entering this market was daring for a small Ukrainian firm, as the genre’s largest players were backed by Chinese and Singaporean groups.
Spring 2024 and the Launch of the My Drama App
Spring 2024 saw the launch of the My Drama app, although the exact date depends on which record you trust. TechCrunch dated the launch in April, Google Play shows March 13, 2024, and the App Store gives May 9, 2024. The difference between those store dates indicates that Android came first and the iPhone version came about two months later. The genre’s go-to tropes dominated the opening slate. Early titles such as The Shy Beauty and the Billionaire Beast and Love Captive to a Mafia Boss reveal most of what you need to know about the mood through their names alone. What ultimately made the company stand out was not the stories themselves but the partner it would soon be making them with.
The Fox Deal, a $22M Round and a Webby
During October 2025, My Drama ceased to be a mere startup curiosity. An equity stake in Holywater went to Fox Entertainment, and the agreement came with a pledge to make more than 200 vertical titles over two years. Fox-produced titles on the platform include Billionaire Blackmail, Bound by Obsession and My Heart’s Offside. Horizon Capital headed a $22M round in Holywater three months later, in January 2026. A Webby Award for Best Streaming Service from 2025 also belongs to the company, which features it on its App Store listing. Few rivals can boast what those milestones hand My Drama, namely a major American studio serving as both shareholder and producer.
My Drama: The Fact File
For readers who only have a minute, the table below is the condensed version of the story. It gathers in one place the details on ownership, legal matters, platforms and pricing that matter most to a new viewer. The prices are the ones listed in the US App Store as of September 2026. They differ by country, platform and promotion, so treat them as a guide rather than a firm quote. On Google Play, the source of the install figure, the app shows 5M+ downloads. The legal entity you deal with depends on where you live, which becomes relevant if you ever need to dispute a charge.
| Topic | Information |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Holywater (established in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2020) |
| Co-founders | Bogdan Nesvit and Anatolii Kasianov |
| Sister apps | My Passion (books), My Muse (AI), FreeBits |
| Legal entity for US users | XOLY LIMITED (Delaware) |
| Contract party, other users | Holy Water Limited (Nicosia, Cyprus) |
| Launch date | Spring 2024 (Google Play: March 13; App Store: May 9) |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV (tvOS 18+), Vision Pro, Android, web |
| Android installs | 5M+ via Google Play |
| Full-access plan | Around $19.99 a week, auto-renewing |
| Coin packs | About $4.99 to $24.99 |
| Premium options | About $4.99 to $9.99 |
| Studio partner | Fox Entertainment, equity stake since October 2025, 200+ titles over two years |
| Investment | $22M in January 2026, led by Horizon Capital |
| Recognition | 2025 Webby Award, Best Streaming Service |
How Watching on My Drama Plays Out
The core experience mirrors the one the entire category is founded on. Framed for an upright phone, episodes are vertical, and in this genre they usually last one or two minutes before a cliffhanger nudges you on to the next. Series often run anywhere from 20 to 100 episodes, so a single story can silently consume an evening in bite-sized pieces. This drama app truly distinguishes itself in the range of screens it supports. It is listed for Apple TV on tvOS 18 or later and for Vision Pro, in addition to iPhone, iPad and Android. ReelShort’s App Store listing, for comparison, shows no Apple TV version at all, which shows that that big-screen option is less common than you might think. The option turns a solo phone habit into something a couple can enjoy together, even though a 9:16 frame will never fill a widescreen television.
Holywater’s own early productions and the growing Fox slate share the catalog, which blends the two. Titles like Billionaire Blackmail and Bound by Obsession make it clear that the Fox releases stick close to the genre’s familiar formula. Scale is where the honest caveat comes in. The app displays 5M+ installs on Google Play, a small fraction of the 100M+ that ReelShort, DramaBox and ShortMax each show. This gap puts My Drama in 2026 as a well-funded challenger rather than the category leader.
What My Drama Costs in 2026: Pricing
Access comes three ways, and the key figure is the weekly pass. As of September 2026, the US App Store prices “My Drama: Full Access” at around $19.99 a week. The weekly passes from ReelShort, ShortMax, DramaWave and GoodShort are listed at about the same price in the same store, which places My Drama level with them. From roughly $4.99 to $24.99, coin packs open up individual episodes. A separate Premium tier is listed at about $4.99 to $9.99, so lighter viewers have lower-cost entry points than the full pass. Until you cancel it, the weekly subscription renews automatically, as its rivals’ plans do. The figure on your own screen may differ, since prices vary by country, platform and promotion. Do the math before you commit, because four renewals of a $19.99 weekly pass total around $80 a month.
Terms Worth Knowing Before You Pay
My Drama’s terms of use carry fine print that merits more attention than most viewers pay it. There is no easy refund if a series disappoints after you unlock it, since coin purchases are final. Coins are also forfeited after 12 months of inactivity, which means a balance you ignore for a year can simply disappear. Web purchases are labeled non-refundable except where the law requires otherwise. A 14-day right of withdrawal covers viewers in the EU and UK, in line with the consumer rules in those markets. Deleting the app does not cancel your subscription, and the terms say so plainly, and that is the most important point of all. Android users use the Subscriptions menu in Google Play, while on an iPhone you cancel under Settings, then your name, then Subscriptions. Apple or Google, not Holywater, process refunds for store purchases.
Understanding exactly who sits on the other side of the contract is useful too. US users deal with XOLY LIMITED, a Delaware company, while everyone else contracts with Holy Water Limited in Nicosia, Cyprus. In this case, as with any vertical drama app, a further warning applies. Modded APKs, unlimited coins and free coin generators are promised by unofficial sites, and those sites are not a safe way to watch anything. If the price feels too high, the right step is cancelling the pass; do not go hunting for a hack.
Verdict: The Challenger With Hollywood on Its Side
Measured by install counts, My Drama is not the biggest vertical drama app, and it is not close. A Kyiv founding story, a Fox equity partner committed to more than 200 titles, fresh funding from January 2026 and a Webby on the shelf add up to the unusual combination it offers instead. ReelShort, for one, does not list Apple TV support, which makes it the practical upside for My Drama viewers. The downside is the same one that affects every rival, namely a weekly pass of roughly $19.99 that renews quietly in the background. Anyone who wants Fox-produced romance and the option to watch on a television will find that the My Drama app deserves a place on the home screen. When the largest claimed library is all you want, ShortMax, with its 50,000+ dramas, is the more obvious pick. In both cases, set a reminder on the day you subscribe and cancel through your store account rather than trusting the delete button.
