COL Expands Distribution Network with COL AI Studios
COL Group is expanding its distribution ecosystem with a new vertical, COL AI Studios, intended as a development pathway for taking proven IP into animation, short-form and long-form series, advertising, branded entertainment, and live-action content.
Banijay Rights Confirms Matt Creasey’s Role in New Team
The team under Cathy Payne at the enlarged Banijay Rights, following the closure of the All3Media transaction, continues to take shape, with Matt Creasey confirmed as senior EVP, world, excluding EMEA.
DAZN Sets Pact with Dagenham & Redbridge FC & Streamer KSI
Influencer KSI will live stream several Dagenham & Redbridge fixtures on YouTube in the upcoming football season as part of a landmark partnership with the National League South team and DAZN.
Show Time with ScreenMDM: Out of Balance, Crude Cats, Food Social, Disasters at Sea & Toxic Love Affairs
Our watch list this week included the indie doc Balance: A Perimenopause Journey (available on Plex, Prime Video and Apple TV), FOX's long-running MasterChef and three Netflix originals: the true-crime doc A Toxic Love Story, Ricky Gervais' Alley Cats, and the RAW and Palomar collaboration Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea. Also, a tease of our MIPCOM plans.
BBC ALBA Seeks Gaelic-Language Feature Film Ideas
BBC ALBA and MG ALBA have joined forces with BBC Film and Screen Scotland on a Gaelic-language feature film development opportunity.
ScreenMDM Scripted Digest: International Drama’s Summer of IP, Microdrama & Regional Expansion
ScreenMDM Scripted Digest recaps some of our best coverage of the sector this summer, from book adaptations and real-life dramas to vertical video growth, romance commissions, anime, and regional momentum in Canada, Iberia, and Türkiye. Sign up for ScreenMDM Scripted Digest here.
WOW Presents Plus Unveils Expanded Drag Race UK Lineup
World of Wonder has assembled an expanded lineup of Drag Race UK content for WOW Presents Plus ahead of the season eight launch of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
V10’s Hooligans Renewed at Samsung TV Plus
Hooligans: The ARCH Racing Project with Keanu Reeves & Gard Hollinger, produced by V10 Entertainment, is getting a second season at Samsung TV Plus.
ITN Productions Preps Doc for 5 on Nigel Farage’s Finances
U.K. broadcaster 5 has commissioned a doc special on Nigel Farage's funding sources from ITN Productions.
PBS Confirms Second Season of Hope in the Water
Hope in the Water, from Andrew Zimmern and Intuitive Content, with David E. Kelley as executive advisor, is set to return to PBS for a second season, exploring the future of the oceans and sustainable blue food.
ScreenMDM Factual & Formats Digest: Format Revivals, Creator Power Moves, and the Co-Pro Imperative
Your monthly breakdown of the biggest moves in formats and factual, from YouTube strategies and creator deals to new commissioning updates. Subscribe—it's free!
Sandbox Brings Together FamilyEducation & PlayKids
Sandbox Group is bringing the PlayKids Learning and FamilyEducation brands together, relaunching the online parenting platform with learning resources and parenting guidance for the whole family.
ScreenMDM Kids/YA Digest: Navigating Digital Frontiers & Evolving Audiences
ScreenMDM Kids/YA Digest recaps some of our best coverage of the sector from the last month, delivering Insights on AI media literacy, YouTube-first partnerships, live-action trends, and new distribution deals. Get your free subscription here.
Show Time with ScreenMDM this week features Balance: A Perimenopause Journey, MasterChef, A Toxic Love Story, Alley Cats & Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea. Email Mansha if you have ideas or want to be a guest.
ICYMI
Vertical, Viral & Bundled: Recapping the Summer’s Digital Shifts
New YouTube milestones, a wave of vertical video investment, bigger streaming bundles, and fresh creator alliances: recapping the digital-facing deals that made headlines over the last month. Subscribe to ScreenMDM Digital-First Digest here.
Building a $1 Billion Vertical Video Giant: The View from Crazy Maple Studio
2026 is proving to be the breakout moment for vertical video, according to Joey Jia, whose Crazy Maple Studio, owner of the ReelShort app, is on track to top $1 billion in revenues this year.
Ex-China Microdrama Revenues Projected to Reach $9.5 Billion in 2031
Microdrama revenues outside of China are expected to hit $3.6 billion this year, rising to $9.5 billion by 2031, according to Media Partners Asia (MPA), with ReelShort/Crazy Maple Studio among a handful of dominant players, generating revenues of more than $1 billion this year.
Hub Research: Smart TV Operators Gain Influence as Streaming Gatekeepers
TV OS operators are emerging as the most influential gatekeepers in the streaming era, Hub Entertainment Research says in a new study of U.S. audiences.
The Vertical Video Revolution with RoseBerry Media’s Guy Hameiri & Lior Friedman
On the heels of the launch of their new vertical video platform Epis, Guy Hameiri and Lior Friedman, co-founders of RoseBerry Media, joined ScreenMDM Talks to discuss reformatting content for mobile-first audiences and leveraging data and analytics to chart a new path in premium, short-form, 9:16 content.
Vertical Content Economy Ex-China to Reach $150 Billion This Year
A comprehensive report from Holywater Tech and Owl & Co has projected that the global vertical video business outside of China will hit $150 billion in revenues this year, a gain of more than 40% on last year, with dedicated microdrama apps generating $4 billion.
Real Talk: Bridging the Gap with Amanda Groom
Amanda Groom, founder and CEO of The Bridge, joins ScreenMDM Talks to offer her takeaways on the key trends that emerged out of Sunny Side of the Doc, including the continued importance of co-productions and PSBs in commissioning high-end docs and the keys to navigating the quest for alternative funding sources.
Netflix Co-CEOs Tackle Engagement Questions
Netflix co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos fielded a raft of questions about engagement levels and content investment on the platform's Q2 2026 investor call, as it reported a 13% revenue gain to $12.6 billion.
WARC Study Charts YouTube Ad Dominance & Deceleration, TikTok’s Rise & CTV Gains
Ad revenue growth at YouTube is slowing, WARC says, as it faces stiffer competition from TikTok and Netflix.
Channel Hopping: CTV Battles & FAST Evolution
ScreenMDM Extra takes a deep dive into the battle for dominance in the CTV era, exploring trends at leading TV OS platforms and AVOD services.
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ScreenMDM's inaugural White Paper, Digital-Shift, delivers practical insights for making sense of the trends reshaping content production, monetization, and distribution.
Find out more here.
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