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.
ZDF & SRF Join Forces for Media Leadership Forum
ZDF and SRF are hosting Streamium Days 2026 in September, an invitation-only senior leadership forum addressing the challenges and opportunities around audience engagement and content distribution for public-service and commercial broadcasting organizations.
1.7 Billion-Plus Viewers for World Cup Content on YouTube
YouTube logged more than 1.7 billion unique viewers globally for FIFA World Cup content this year, including more than 550 million who tuned in on their TV sets.
MIP Cancun Sets Focus on Vertical, Social & New Business Models
YouTube's Juan Pablo Robert, Kuaishou Technology's Claudine Bayma, and Shorta's Ariel Arrieta have joined the speaker lineup for MIP Cancun, taking place November 17 to 20 with an emphasis on new business models, the creator economy, and vertical video.
Mediawan Rights’ Kabul Acquired by BBC Four
Backed by the European Alliance and distributed by Mediawan Rights, the drama series Kabul, set against the backdrop of the real-life events in August 2021 in Afghanistan, has been picked up by BBC Four and iPlayer.
Great American Media Unveils New Original Series
From Faith Street Films in association with Toy Gun Films, the new original series Abilene is set to launch on Great American Media's platforms in 2027.
Prime Video Sets Doc on Spain’s World Cup Triumph
Prime Video is set to roll out a docuseries about Spain's World Cup win, produced by the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF) in collaboration with Telefónica Broadcast Services (TBS).
PBS Brings Stage Event We Chose to Go to the Moon to U.S. Audiences
We Chose to Go to the Moon, a live stage event filmed at New York's Carnegie Hall in April, will be available to PBS audiences this November.
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!
CBeebies Acquires Andy Lee-Created Series from 9 Story
The first two seasons of the hit animated comedy series Do Not Watch This Show, created by Australian entertainer and children's media author Andy Lee, have been licensed by 9 Story Distribution International to CBeebies in the U.K.
Show Time with ScreenMDM features our first in-studio guest this week. Together with Mark James from Lionsgate, we discussed: The Affair, Evolution, Ride or Die, Widow's Bay, Cape Fear (the OG), and Nation's Dumbest. Email Mansha if you have ideas or want to be a guest.
ICYMI
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.
Format Zone: Wanna Bet?’s Winning Combo
ZDF Studios’ Ralf Rückauer, ZDF’s Nadine Kerstan, and Rollercoaster Studios’ James Fox join ScreenMDM Talks to showcase the journey of the iconic German entertainment show Wetten, dass..? as it gets reinvented at home and remade internationally.
SVOD Streamers in Asia Part 1—The Global Majors
From Netflix’s decade-long Asia-Pac journey to HBO Max’s relative upstart play, a look at how global SVODs are chasing scale across the region.
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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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