How a Kyiv Studio Bet on the Vertical Drama
Television was not how Holywater began. The business was launched in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2020 by Bogdan Nesvit and Anatolii Kasianov, and its lineup still looks more like a lab for mobile entertainment than a streaming service. My Drama is listed alongside My Passion for books, My Muse for AI and FreeBits. That breadth is important, since it points to dramaboxdb online a company that treats video as one of several consumer products rather than its whole identity. In the end, Holywater bet on the vertical drama, a style that began in China as duanju and is framed 9:16 for an upright phone. The category’s largest players were supported by Chinese and Singaporean groups, so entering this market was a bold choice for a small Ukrainian firm.
Spring 2024 and the Launch of the My Drama App
The precise date of the My Drama app depends on which source you believe, but it arrived in spring 2024. The launch timing differs by source: TechCrunch put it in April, Google Play shows March 13, 2024, and the App Store shows May 9, 2024. Those store dates indicate that Android launched first, with the iPhone version arriving about two months later. The initial slate was heavily built around the genre’s favorite tropes. Initial titles featured The Shy Beauty and the Billionaire Beast and Love Captive to a Mafia Boss, names that reveal most of what you need to know about the style. The company was ultimately set apart not by the stories themselves but by the partner it would soon be producing them with.
A Fox Deal, a $22M Round and a Webby
My Drama stopped being just a startup curiosity in October 2025. In a deal that came with a pledge to make more than 200 vertical titles over two years, Fox Entertainment took an equity stake in Holywater. A $22M round led by Horizon Capital came three months later, in January 2026, with Holywater raising the sum. Billionaire Blackmail, Bound by Obsession and My Heart’s Offside are among the Fox-produced titles on the app. The company also has a Webby Award for Best Streaming Service from 2025, a credential it displays on its App Store listing. These milestones, taken together, hand My Drama a rare advantage that few rivals can claim: a major American studio serving as both shareholder and producer.
The My Drama Fact File
For anyone who only has a minute, the table below gives the condensed version of the story. The ownership, legal, platform and pricing details that matter most to a first-time viewer are gathered in one place. As of September 2026, the prices match the ones listed in the US App Store. Since they vary by country, platform and promotion, treat them as a rough guide rather than a firm quote. Which legal entity you contract with is determined by where you live, a point that is relevant if you ever need to dispute a charge. On Google Play, the source of the install figure, the app lists 5M+ downloads.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Owner | Holywater (founded in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2020) |
| Co-founders | Bogdan Nesvit and Anatolii Kasianov |
| Sister apps | My Passion (books), My Muse (AI), FreeBits |
| Contracting entity, US users | XOLY LIMITED (Delaware) |
| Contracting entity, other users | Holy Water Limited (Nicosia, Cyprus) |
| Launch | Spring 2024 (Google Play: March 13; App Store: May 9) |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV (tvOS 18+), Vision Pro, Android, web |
| Android downloads | 5M+ via Google Play |
| Full access pass | Around $19.99 per week, renewing automatically |
| Coin packages | About $4.99 to $24.99 |
| Premium plans | Roughly $4.99 to $9.99 |
| Studio partner | Fox Entertainment, equity stake since October 2025, 200+ titles over two years |
| Latest funding | $22M in January 2026, led by Horizon Capital |
| Honors | Webby Award, Best Streaming Service, 2025 |
The My Drama Viewing Experience
The central experience mirrors the one the whole category is built on. Episodes are vertical and formatted for an upright phone; in this genre episodes generally run a minute or two, and then a cliffhanger nudges you toward the next one. Because series often run anywhere from 20 to 100 episodes, a single story can quietly consume an evening in small bites. This drama app truly distinguishes itself in the range of screens it supports. Beyond iPhone, iPad and Android, the app is listed for Vision Pro and for Apple TV on tvOS 18 or later. ReelShort’s App Store listing, by comparison, shows no Apple TV version at all, which underlines that this big-screen option is less common than you might think. The option converts a solo phone habit into something a couple can watch together, even though a 9:16 frame will never fill a widescreen TV.
In terms of content, the library blends Holywater’s own early productions with the growing Fox slate. The Fox releases stay close to the genre’s well-worn formula, as titles like Billionaire Blackmail and Bound by Obsession make clear. Here, the candid caveat is scale. On Google Play the app shows 5M+ installs, a fraction of the 100M+ that ReelShort, DramaBox and ShortMax each list. In 2026, that gap shows that My Drama is a well-backed challenger rather than the category leader.
My Drama Pricing in 2026
Of the three ways Holywater sells access, the weekly pass carries the headline figure. As of September 2026, the US App Store lists “My Drama: Full Access” at about $19.99 per week. That places it on par with the weekly passes from ReelShort, ShortMax, DramaWave and GoodShort, which are listed at about the same price in the same store. Coin packs, used to unlock individual episodes, range from around $4.99 to $24.99. A separate Premium tier is listed at roughly $4.99 to $9.99, so lighter viewers have lower-cost entry points than the full pass. As prices differ by country, platform and promotion, the figure on your own device may be different. Like its rivals’ plans, the weekly subscription auto-renews until you cancel it. Do the arithmetic before you commit, because four renewals of a $19.99 weekly pass come to roughly $80 a month.
Before You Pay: The Terms to Know
My Drama’s terms of use include fine print that merits more attention than most viewers pay it. Since coin purchases are final, there is no easy refund if a series disappoints after you unlock it. A balance you ignore for a year can simply vanish, as coins are forfeited after 12 months of inactivity. Purchases on the web are labeled non-refundable except where the law requires otherwise. In line with the consumer rules in those markets, viewers in the EU and UK have a 14-day right of withdrawal. Most importantly, the terms state plainly that deleting the app does not cancel your subscription. To cancel on an iPhone, go to Settings, then your name, then Subscriptions; on Android, go through the Subscriptions menu in Google Play. Refunds for store purchases are handled by Apple or Google, not by Holywater.
It is also worth knowing exactly who stands on the other side of the contract. US users contract with XOLY LIMITED, a Delaware company, while everyone else contracts with Holy Water Limited in Nicosia, Cyprus. Another warning applies to My Drama as much as to any vertical drama app. Sites promising modded APKs, unlimited coins or free coin generators are unofficial, and they are not a safe way to watch anything. When the price feels too high, the proper move is to cancel the pass, not to hunt for a hack.
The Verdict: A Challenger Backed by Hollywood
Measured by install counts, My Drama is not the largest vertical drama app, and it is not even 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 make up the uncommon combination it offers instead. For viewers there is a practical benefit in Apple TV support, which ReelShort, for one, does not list. The drawback remains the same one that dogs every rival: a weekly pass of around $19.99 that renews quietly in the background. If you want Fox-produced romance and the option to watch on a TV, the My Drama app deserves a place on your home screen. For viewers who simply want the largest claimed library, ShortMax and its 50,000+ dramas are the more obvious choice. In both cases, create a reminder on the day you subscribe and cancel through your store account instead of trusting the delete button.

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