TECHNIQUE VERTICAL DRAMA
A billionaire poses as a homeless man to test the love of his friends and family. A bullied girl discovers she’s the heir to a mega-rich royal dynasty. A scorned spouse transforms themselves with plastic surgery and returns to wreak havoc on those who wronged them. A girl discovers her boss is actually (stay with me) the alpha of a secret werewolf pack. Welcome to the wacky world of vertical dramas: high-octane, fast- paced, packed with outrageous plot twists – and extremely profitable. According to Omdia, global vertical drama revenues reached $11bn in 2025 and are expected to climb to $14bn by the end of 2026. And the growth shows no sign of slowing down, with Variety suggesting the global market is on track to be worth $26bn in annual revenues by 2030. Naturally, Hollywood is standing to attention, as are major UK broadcasters, which are now investing in the space in the hope of riding the vertical wave. WHAT EXACTLY ARE THEY? In a nutshell, vertical dramas are feature-length stories serialised into short episodes, filmed in a 9:16 aspect ratio designed for smartphone viewing. Accessed via dedicated apps, often with a subscription model, they lean heavily into melodramatic, soapy tropes such as revenge, jilted lovers and secret love children, as well as fantasy elements.
One vital ingredient is the cliffhanger – a hook to make you hungry for the next instalment. “The format is designed to keep you watching for as long as possible, and this ties into how brands monetise on social media by trying to get as much screen time out of you as possible,” muses Nathan Caselton, founder of Crew Studio, which supports vertical drama production from development to final delivery. Another powerful component is audience analytics. The medium is data- driven to the nth degree, with producers keeping a laser focus on what audiences respond to and which plotlines are most addictive. In the case of ReelShort, that extends to careful cultural localisation of its narratives. A sports-themed romance, for example, features a hockey player in the American version, while the protagonist is a soccer player for Latin American audiences and a baseball player in the Japanese iteration – driven by the fact that they know exactly what audiences in different locations will prefer and watch more of. AN ANTIDOTE TO DOOMSCROLLING? So what’s the appeal of these soap- operatic snippets, and why are people lapping them up so much? Bethany Thomson, creative lead at Sea Star Productions, another UK-based vertical drama studio, thinks it’s a way to meet audiences where they are and give them something more satisfying than endless
disconnected TikToks and Reels. “In my mind, verticals are a way for people to gain value through 9:16 content that isn’t social media led,” she begins. “So instead of doomscrolling, they feel like they are doing something more productive and rewarding. They’re watching a real story unfold, and they’re getting more from their entertainment. “We shoot around once or twice a month, and we did 18 verticals last year,” she continues. “There’s constant work around for us and the other production companies in the UK who make them. There are over 250 platforms and they all need original content throughout the year. There’s so much opportunity.” BIG IN CHINA This is not the first attempt to make smartphone-friendly micro-dramas happen. Back in 2020 (with a rumoured $1.75bn in funding and a talent roster of big names that included Steven Spielberg and Guillermo del Toro), short- form streaming-video service Quibi launched with a promise to revolutionise Hollywood. Its content – serialised, cinematic ‘quick bites’ of movies, reality shows and docs – were available for a fee on the company’s app, about ten minutes in length and viewable in landscape and portrait. Despite early buzz, Quibi shuttered just six months after its official launch. At around the same time in China, however, a similar concept was gaining
THERE ARE OVER 250 PLATFORMS and they all need original content ”
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