2025 is all about vertical, serialised short-form drama - made for mobile!š¤³
The boom in 90-second episodic dramas, designed and shot for mobile-viewing is a major trend to watch in the entertainment and brand marketing sphere. A natural evolution for social media-tainment.
In early 2024, millions of us watched all 52 videos of regular TikTokker Reesa Teesaās āWho TF Did I Marry TikTokā story, which she shot, unrehearsed, as she went about a regular day, getting ready, driving her car, etc. Each episode currently stands at around 8 million views.
Within months, social media strategists were touting multi-episode, character-led, storytelling dramas as a brand marketing tactic to engage audiences. Brands like luxury jewellry house Alexis Bittar jumped on this with aplomb, creating the eccentric, bling-loving, Upper West Side character Margaux Goldrich and her long-suffering PA for a 6 month Reels campaign.
OF COURSE this was all bound to start making an impact on the professional film and entertainment worldā¦
SHORT FORM, VERTICAL SERIAL DRAMAS TAKE OFFā¦
Take platforms like ReelShort as an example. Hits like The Double Life of My Billionaire Husband, show that bite-sized, mobile-first drama is successfully meeting new audiences where they consume content the most.
Currently, ReelShort caters primarily to women. And as I often say (and will keep saying until the message sinks in): the female Ā£Ā£ and attention economy is vital to the health of the entertainment sector. Weāre crying out for more stories aimed at us, written by us, and with us as the leads! But ReelShort is just the beginning. Watch this space...
The ReelShort Phenomenon
ReelShort is a Chinese-backed short-form video streaming app, developed by Silicon Valleyās Crazy Maple Studio. Its bread and butter? Serialised dramas, made-up of 90-second episodes, optimised for mobile viewing. Think Hallmark channel meets TikTok: heavy on the romance, sprinkled with fantasy (hello, āromantasyā), and brimming with dramatic plot twists.
Sure, itās low-brow. Yes, the storytelling leans into cheesy romance tropes, heightened emotional conflicts, and a near-total absence of character development. But hereās the kicker: it works. The format nails the short attention spans and fast-paced scrolling habits of its target audience.
And the numbers? They donāt lie. The Double Life of My Billionaire Husband currently sits at 435 million views, and ReelShorts already boasts 1.5 million TikTok followers...Proof positive that thereās a ravenous appetite for this kind of content.
The Road Ahead: Short-Formās Potential in Entertainment
Hereās where I think weāre heading over the next 2ā4 years:
1. Studios Will Start Experimenting
Major studios will begin creating short-form, vertical spin-off content as a way to market their franchises and keep fans engaged between seasons or sequels.
Imagine a Stranger Things sideshow, featuring favourite charactersā back stories or alternate plot lines, condensed into three-minute episodes.
A brilliant way to extend a storyās universe and keep audiences hooked during the main season drought, AND to test potential future storylines, gauge sentimentā¦
2. Empowering Fan Creativity
Fandoms WANT to create and participate.
The rise of AI and DIY video tools will increasingly enable fans to create their own vertical dramas inspired by the stories they love. Remember the explosion of Wattpad fan fiction? Now picture those stories brought to life as slick, smartphone-ready videos.
We already have fanart, fan gatherings in SIMS and Roblox, A03 writing challenges, comic booksā¦
We could see cosplayers develop stories, filmed and edited themselves, partnering with franchises for extended universesā¦ becoming the active contributors to their favorite franchises the way they crave.
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A Global Shift in Storytelling
Vertical storytelling isnāt newāitās been gaining momentum in Asia for years. Platforms like Douyin (Chinaās TikTok) have been driving this shift, and now itās starting to ripple out globally. Whatās exciting is how the combination of professional studio efforts and grassroots fan creativity can come together to start redefining how we engage with stories.
Itās no longer just about consuming content; itās about creating, remixing, and reimagining it. This blend of top-down and bottom-up storytelling is something Iām endlessly curious about.
Are we heading toward a future where fans and creators collaborate in ways weāve never seen before? I think so.
So, what do you think? Could this be the next big wave in entertainment? Or is it just another passing trend? Let me know your thoughtsāIād love to hear how you see short-form storytelling evolving!
Great post. If anyone is interested in launching their rival platforms to reelshort, you can check out Briz (getbriz.com). We have the largest library of original English vertical short dramas for licensing!
verticals are the new wave and they are here to stay. I do think they will expand beyond hallmark style romances and sci-fi/action/horror/etc will all adapt.