Singapore just placed a national bet on the 9:16 frame. The Infocomm Media Development Authority teamed up with TikTok to launch a state-backed training program for microdrama production, per Mothership.SG. Media professionals from 20 accredited firms will spend six to nine months learning vertical shot design, mobile pacing, and AI prompt writing. Their mandate: produce 50 to 100 vertical episodes. The agency cited projections that place worldwide vertical drama revenue at $150 billion in 2026. Governments now view vertical video as critical cultural infrastructure.
India Upends App Charts
Audiences are running ahead of the policymakers. On Google Play rankings compiled by AppBrain on September 30, vertical drama app VibeShort climbed to the number one free entertainment slot in India, per Bollywood Hungama. That surge pushed legacy subscription giants down the chart: Netflix took number two, while Amazon Prime Video landed at number three. Six of the top 12 free entertainment apps in India now belong to the vertical fiction format.
The phone screen rewards narrative velocity over studio pedigree.
The institutional capital follows that attention. Hungama Digital Media Entertainment introduced FAST TV, a dedicated hub featuring 300 series and over 50 originals. Hungama plans direct creator commissions alongside branded intellectual property. Meanwhile, Meta debuted its first Microdrama Growth Playbook at FICCI Frames in Mumbai. Drawing data from Kuku TV and Ormax Media, Meta split viewers into incidental (39%), intent-building (43%), and high-intent (18%) cohorts. For monetized viewers, 32% choose bite-sized micropayments per episode, while 31% unlock full seasons upfront.
Stars Turn to Vertical Formats
Established screen talent wants in. Indian screen veteran Sheeba Chadha joined creator Kusha Kapila for Likhe Jo Khat Tujhe, a 14-episode series on Instagram. Archival tape is finding fresh life as well. RoseBerry Media tapped its RedSnapper AI workflow to recut classic episodes of Australian soap opera Neighbours starring Margot Robbie into 150 minutes of vertical episodes for the Epis platform, as covered by Variety. Studio archives, social creators, and state funds now chase the exact same screen real estate.