Hongguo overtakes Doubao as Douyin Group's second-largest application
Data from QuestMobile shows that the short-drama app Hongguo has surpassed AI platform Doubao in monthly active users to become Douyin Group's second most-used service.
A report on China's mobile internet market by QuestMobile reveals a shift in user preference within the Douyin Group ecosystem. As of September 2026, the short-drama application Hongguo reached 430 million monthly active users, climbing to the second-highest position within the company, while the AI-native application Doubao followed with 419 million.
The findings highlight the dominance of short-form media in the current market. Growth in time spent by users is heavily concentrated in short dramas and short videos, which accounted for a 111.5% contribution to total duration growth, effectively cannibalizing time previously spent on online video and general news platforms.
Broader industry trends show a demographic shift toward an aging user base, with individuals over 46 years old now comprising over 40% of mobile internet users in China. In the AI sector, while total engagement is rising, competitive dynamics are changing; DeepSeek saw an increase in user frequency and session duration compared to the previous quarter, while Doubao experienced a moderate decline.