The Case: One Suspect, Two Names
Search „short tv“ in an app store and you are shown a crowd of look-alike apps, a Chinese studio’s press history and, somewhere in the middle, a hit app named ShortMax. The case this file sets out to untangle is that tangle. The working hypothesis is simple: the ShortTV brand that a Chinese producer announced for the US, Canada and Australia and the app now sold as ShortMax are one and the same. This theory is strong, but it is not proven, because no official rename announcement has surfaced. So instead of taking anyone’s word for it, we will work through the public records one clue He’s Too Late for Her Mafia Majesty online at a time. Every clue is small on its own, and the weight comes from how neatly they line up. You should be able to judge the claim yourself by the end and, more practically, steer clear of the wrong short tv drama app.
The First Clue: The Android Package Name
The package name is a fixed internal ID carried by every Android app, and it seldom changes even when the storefront title does. The package live.shorttv.apps is what ShortMax uses on Google Play. For a brand called ShortMax, that is an strange choice, unless the app started life under another name. Developers typically choose the package ID at the very beginning, before marketing settles on a final title. A package name that spells out „shorttv“ is therefore the kind of fingerprint that survives a rebrand. However, a package name by itself only suggests a history but does not document one. Anyone can confirm this clue in seconds, because the ID also appears in the web address of the Play listing.
The Second Clue: The Legal Entity
Both app stores‘ fine print holds the second clue. ShortMax’s seller on the App Store is SHORTTV LIMITED. On Google Play the developer is shown as SHORTMAX LIMITED, while the legal entity behind it is again SHORTTV LIMITED, with an address in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong. Its terms of service, too, are governed by Hong Kong law. Studios often rename their consumer product while keeping the original company name, a common pattern in app publishing. That does not prove the brands are the same, but it puts ShortTV’s name on the contract you accept when you pay for ShortMax.
Third Clue: When It Launched
The third thread concerns timing. ShortTV’s launch is dated to September 2023 in Baidu’s encyclopedia entry. ShortMax showed up in the same month, with Google Play listing September 3, 2023 and the App Store listing September 11, 2023. Near-identical names on two unrelated brands debuting within the same few weeks would be a striking coincidence. A single product that launched once and later traded under a new name explains the overlap more simply. As late as January 2024, a few months after that launch, China Daily was still calling Jiuzhou’s English-market app ShortTV. Still, a shared month is circumstantial, which is why it matters mainly in combination with the other clues.
Clue Four: The Web Domain Redirect
Because it happens in your browser, the fourth clue is the easiest to check. As of September 2026, a permanent 301 redirect takes visitors of shortmax.com to shorttv.live. At the destination site you can find on the web the same dramas the app streams. Nothing about a permanent redirect is an accident of search results; it is a deliberate server setting. The redirect ties both names to one operator, since companies usually point a domain only at property they control. That is the closest thing in this file to a signed statement, even though nobody has written it down in a press release.
Fifth Clue: The Copyright Line
A page footer is the final piece of evidence. Copyright lines tend to name the entity that actually owns the content and the site. On the shorttv.live site, a ShortMax page carries the line „© 2024 SHORTTV LIMITED“. Place the package name, the seller, the launch month and the redirect alongside it, and the pattern is hard to read any other way. Careful readers should still treat the rename as likely but unconfirmed. No official announcement of a switch from ShortTV to ShortMax could be found, and the company might describe its brands differently in the future.
Who Is Behind It: Jiuzhou Culture
The company behind the ShortTV name is Jiuzhou Culture, a Chinese short-drama producer. A January 2024 report in China Daily stated that Jiuzhou launched two overseas apps: 99TV for Southeast Asia and ShortTV for the US, Canada and Australia. That report also said Jiuzhou had produced more than 600 mini-dramas for overseas markets. Of those, about 80% were dubbed adaptations of Chinese productions, whereas the remaining 20% were original overseas shoots. By the company’s estimate, a 70-episode short series cost $100,000 to $150,000. That mix explains why the catalog contains both dubbed Chinese stories and locally shot originals. Treat those figures as a snapshot rather than a current tally, because they date from early 2024. ShortMax’s own store listing now claims more than 50,000 dramas in 19 languages, a company figure that has not been independently audited. It is through SHORTTV LIMITED’s ownership trail that this studio connects to the ShortMax brand you see in stores today.
The Look-Alike Apps Problem
Because the short tv name is not protected in app store search, the case gets messier here. None of the apps with nearly identical titles from several unrelated developers is connected to Jiuzhou or ShortMax. Most people never look at the developer field, which is the only place the differences show up. It is easy for someone looking for a shorts app from the ShortTV team to install one of these instead. The table lists the developer names recorded in the store listings as of September 2026. Treat the developer name, not the icon or title, as the real ID.
| Store app name | Seller or developer | Platforms | Install count | Connection to Jiuzhou’s ShortTV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShortMax (package live.shorttv.apps) | SHORTTV LIMITED, Hong Kong | Android and iOS | 100M+ on Google Play | Likely the same app; the rename is unconfirmed |
| ShortTV: Watch Drama Shorts | HUNG LAM INVESTMENT AND CONSTRUCTION JSC | Android | 1M+ | Unrelated |
| Short TV – Drama & Shorts | BullFX | Android | Not recorded | Not related |
| Shortv | Instant Shadow Limited | iOS | Not shown | No connection |
What You Will Pay
As ShortTV and ShortMax appear to be one product, pricing follows the ShortMax listing. As of September 2026, the Weekly Pass Pro in the US App Store is priced at about $19.99 per week, while a cheaper tier costs about $9.99. Monthly or annual plans could not be verified, since the US store lists only weekly passes. Prices vary by country, platform and promotion, and one-time purchases run from about $3.49 to $24.99. Refunds are denied unless the service is unusable because of ShortMax, and passes renew automatically 24 hours before they expire, the terms say. Its „free trial“ wording confused some users, as the developer’s own replies on Google Play admit. App Store reviewers also complain about episodes costing up to 60 coins without clear pricing up front. To cancel, use the App Store or Google Play subscription settings, since deleting the app does not stop the billing.
Before You Install: A Brief Checklist
In less than a minute, a few checks prevent most mix-ups. The point is to confirm you are getting the Jiuzhou-linked app and not a look-alike. Before you start a short series you cannot afford to finish, it also helps you spot the pricing traps. Sites offering modded versions or „unlimited coins“ should be avoided, since those are unofficial and risky. Only the store page itself is needed; none of these steps requires special tools. The list below is worth running through before you tap install.
- Verify the developer or seller shows SHORTTV LIMITED or SHORTMAX LIMITED.
- Check that the install count on Google Play is at 100M+.
- To see current weekly pass prices in your country, read the in-app purchase list.
- Remember that passes keep renewing automatically until you cancel in your store settings.
- However similar the title, avoid any app whose developer name matches none of the above.