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.
What’s Inside:
- The YouTube Generation
- MIP Markets Digital Agendas
- Bigger Bundles
- Vertical Velocity: By the Numbers
- Building a $1 Billion Microdrama Giant
- 9:16 Rush
- Engagement Games
- Creator Exchanges
- Powering Social
- Pubcaster Shifts
- CTV Battles & FAST Evolution
- Free Streaming & Linear Lives
- The Art of AI
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The YouTube Generation
YouTube hit a U.S. viewing share of 13.4% in Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge for April, a month otherwise driven by sports and drama series (HBO Max’s The Pitt was the most-streamed title with 4.5 billion viewed minutes.) While still out front in the media rankings across the globe, ad revenue growth at YouTube is slowing, WARC says, as it faces stiffer competition from TikTok and Netflix. WARC Media’s Platform Insights: YouTube says the video-sharing platform is competing directly with linear TV for dominance in the living room, reaching 2.6 billion monthly users and generating about $40 billion in annual ad revenue.
YouTube’s 2.6 billion monthly users are spending an average of 58 minutes daily on the platform, up from 48 minutes in 2024. Its largest market is India, with 500 million users, followed by the U.S. with 254 million, Indonesia with 151 million, and Brazil with 150 million. Citing Similarweb App Intelligence data, WARC says that YouTube generates the highest total time spent on any social or video platform globally.
“Rising consumption of video content on YouTube, and in particular on TV screens, has not yet translated into the kind of year-on-year ad revenue growth we see elsewhere in the digital ad market,” said Alex Brownsell, head of content at WARC Media and lead editor of the report. “YouTube has been less successful than rivals such as TikTok in its attempts to persuade marketers of its role in driving lower-funnel outcomes, hence its growing focus on winning a greater share of TV budgets.”
MIP Markets Digital Agendas
MIPCOM Cannes unveiled its microdrama and vertical content agenda with a raft of headline keynotes and panelists, including Anthony E. Zuiker and Holywater’s Anatolii Kasianov.
“We’re seeing entirely new sectors of the entertainment business mature at remarkable speed,” said Lucy Smith, director of MIPCOM Cannes and MIPJunior. “What were emerging trends only a year ago, from vertical storytelling and creator-led businesses to AI-powered production, are now attracting investment, generating scalable business models, and becoming an increasingly important part of the global content economy. As these sectors continue to converge with premium television and entertainment, there is growing demand for a marketplace where established media companies, creators, technology businesses, and investors can connect, build partnerships, and unlock new commercial opportunities. That’s exactly what MIPCOM Cannes is designed to do.”
In addition, Utopai Studios boarded as a headline partner of the first MIP AI Entertainment Forum, taking place this October, with Cecilia Shen, co-founder and CEO, set to deliver a keynote on the opening Monday.
The following month, at MIP Cancun, YouTube’s Juan Pablo Robert, Kuaishou Technology’s Claudine Bayma, and Shorta’s Ariel Arrieta have joined the speaker lineup, with the annual LatAm market emphasizing new business models, the creator economy, and vertical video.
Bigger Bundles
Peacock is joining the YouTube Premium bundle in the U.S. as part of a new multi-year global strategic partnership between NBCUniversal and YouTube that also includes expanded reach for Universal+ and Hayu internationally. As part of the wide-ranging deal, Peacock Premium (ad-supported) will be included in a bundle with YouTube Premium, beginning in early 2027. Later this summer, Peacock Premium will be made available as a separate add-on subscription through YouTube Primetime Channels, joining Peacock Premium Plus. Further, NBCUniversal has extended its deal with YouTube TV for linear distribution of entertainment, sports, and news channels. In select markets, YouTube Premium will provide access to Universal+ and Hayu. Plus, there’s a sports component: NBC Sports will be the production partner for select premier live sporting events on YouTube, and some live sporting events from NBCUniversal will stream on NBC Sports’ YouTube channel. The alliance also covers expanded distribution of YouTube, YouTube TV, and YouTube Premium on Comcast’s Xfinity and Xumo platforms.
Vertical Velocity: By the Numbers
The vertical video category dominated our digital-first news over the last month. Lots of bullish projections of where the sector is heading. Lots of new players. A comprehensive report from Holywater Tech and Owl & Co projected that overall 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. A separate report from Media Partners Asia (MPA) on microdrama apps predicted revenues outside of China of $3.6 billion this year, rising to $9.5 billion by 2031. MPA projects Crazy Maple Studio‘s ReelShort is on track to reach $1.05 billion in revenues this year.
Building a $1 Billion Microdrama Giant
Joey Jia, founder and CEO of Crazy Maple Studio, talked to ScreenMDM about the company’s at times perilous journey to pioneering a new content category. “I did experience some dark times,” Jia said in a candid conversation at APOS, where he was among the keynote speakers. After a batch of productions failed to catch on, “I almost gave up,” he said. “Nobody told me what was wrong with microdrama. Or if this would be a robust model. If we could make money. But I trusted my instinct. If there’s something wrong, don’t complain to other people; go back to your content and fix it. If you’re really serious about a story, and you truly believe in it, there is a market to be found. When you see a one-day return of over 100%, you know you’re doing something correct. It’s not easy. Projects fail. It’s so easy just to quit, but I’d tell the team, let’s give it one more shot.”
9:16 Rush
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.
Like many in the “traditional” content ecosystem, Hameiri and Friedman have embraced the vertical video revolution, leveraging their deep experience in content production and monetization—Hameiri co-founded Abot Hameiri (now Fremantle Israel), and Friedman is the former SVP at Amagi—at RoseBerry Media. The venture officially launched its content studio in May, aligning with several top-tier distributors to reformat IPs for the vertical video space, utilizing their proprietary AI solution, Red Snapper. Their new platform, Epis, launched with a mix of reformatted shows and originals.
Meanwhile, Y+X Entertainment Group has enlisted more than 50 authors and screenwriters, including several New York Times best-selling writers, for its LumiCreator network ahead of the launch of its new premium vertical video platform, LumiView.
Also looking at the premium end of the vertical video space, Alon Shtruzman and Scott Einbinder, backed by a consortium of investors, launched a new microdrama studio alongside their 5X Media banner. New Short Media aims to work with established content creators, producers, and on-screen talent to roll out a slate of vertical content.
Engagement Games
While the major premium SVOD platforms are not (yet?) commissioning original vertical series, they are using 9:16 to help drive overall engagement. Last month saw HBO Max add a mobile scrolling feed intended to help subscribers discover new content, while Disney+ took an even bigger step, inking a global alliance with TikTok. Piloting first in the U.S., with other markets to follow, the alignment will bring a collection of “thoughtfully curated” Disney-centered content created by users on TikTok to the Disney+ app. The short-form videos from participating creators who opt in to the program will feature on TikTok and in Verts on Disney+. Other engagement-driving efforts this summer included iHeartMedia podcasts for Disney+ and Hulu, and an expansion of Peacock’s mobile game lineup with Wolf Games’ Public Eye, which promises hidden-object gameplay and microdrama-style narratives. “Public Eye sits right at the intersection of two trends users are excited about: microdramas and interactive storytelling,” said John Jelley, SVP of product UX and design at NBCUniversal Media Group. “This new experience invites fans to step into the story rather than simply watch it unfold. Through our work with Wolf Games, we’re exploring how Peacock can bring together video, gameplay, and storytelling in a single destination, creating more opportunities for audiences to engage with the worlds they love throughout the day.”
In other gaming news, this one with a view to franchise- and fandom-building, WEBTOON Entertainment made a strategic investment in South Korea’s RI Games, taking a 60% stake for $100 million. WEBTOON and RI Games will develop and launch multiple games based on hit webcomic IP as part of broader franchise plans that also include anime adaptations.
Creator Exchanges
Another month of engagement woes, another set of digital-native creators finding their way to SVOD, AVOD, and even cable television. Three original series from Dan Abrams’ Law&Crime are filling a prime-time slot on REELZ’s linear network. Netflix’s raft of creator pacts has recently included culinary content creator Nick DiGiovanni and Alan Chikin Chow. Qesma W Naseeb: Alarusat & Alhamaat, a dating reality competition from M Networks, a JV of Merzigo and Melon Digital, arrived on Prime Video MENA for a second season following its huge success on YouTube.
Powering Social
With YouTube upping its minimum reach requirements for monetization, expect the landscape of social video optimizers—those companies selling their expertise to grow users, watch time, and ultimately revenue generation—to get even more competitive. Nuggit unveiled a £5 million investment fund for YouTube talent in the U.K., building on the company’s existing Creator Operating System, which has already backed more than 30 YouTubers. Merzigo expanded its digital monetization deal with Banijay Rights, taking on an additional 9,000 hours. U.K. digital entertainment studio Wall of Entertainment enlisted the expertise of Chronicle Media to scale the YouTube audience for its new influencer-led game shows Substitute Teacher and House Rules. With a slate of new deals, Little Dot Studios expanded its suite of digital owned-and-operated networks to 250, delivering more than 30,000 hours of long-form premium content.
Pubcaster Shifts
Public broadcasters around the world are looking for ways to expand their audiences via various digital alliances. ZDF’s on-demand content will be integrated into the ProSiebenSat.1-owned streamer Joyn, beginning in Q4 of this year. As part of its “More Than a TV Channel” strategy, Welsh public broadcaster S4C will issue an open call in October seeking digital-first takes on some of its most popular productions.
Channel Hopping: CTV Battles & FAST Evolution
TV OS operators are emerging as the most influential gatekeepers in the streaming era, Hub Entertainment Research said in a recent study of U.S. audiences.
Audiences are increasingly turning to their smart TV operating systems for guidance on what to watch. And many are using Roku—recently snapped up by Fox Corporation for $22 billion—with the streaming media player used by 37% of respondents in the Hub Evolution of the TV Set study when asked about their most-watched TV set. (Most homes have three, two being smart devices). Fire TV follows with 17%. Android at 14% is ahead of Tizen (Samsung), Apple TV, and webOS (LG) systems.
ScreenMDM Extra took a deep dive into the battle for dominance in the CTV era, exploring trends at leading TV OS platforms and AVOD services. Excerpted from the ScreenMDM Digital-Shift White Paper, the post delivered insights on how an array of key CTV players are positioning their businesses, including Samsung TV Plus, Rakuten TV, TCL, wedotv, Tubi, and Roku.
Free Streaming & Linear Lives
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. The SVOD giant’s chiefs were asked about the potential to bring in more streaming channels to help boost time spent with the platform. “It could make sense in some markets, but we have to be thoughtful about cannibalization of paid tiers,” Peters said. We’ve got to ensure that we’ve got the right offering and the right differentiation of that offering. It’s probably also worth noting that having an effective scaled ads business in any candidate country for such an offering is clearly an important enabling factor to make those economics work. So that’s all to say that free is something that we’re going to continue to consider, but we have no near-term plans to launch something.”
Elsewhere, it’s been a busy summer in the free streaming channels space. Subscribers to discovery+ in the U.S. can now access a suite of streaming channels built around some of the platform’s biggest franchises, as well as live NASA+ programming. wedotv cracked the Indian market, securing a distribution deal with Samsung TV Plus for four services, and expanded the reach of its channels in Europe via a deal to launch on TiVo Channels. Freely added 11 from 5 across a range of genres, delivering single-IP and multi-title services. Rakuten TV added 20 FAST channels from Sony Pictures Entertainment to its lineup. Coolita and the China Intercontinental Communication Center launched an alliance in Indonesia, featuring representation from the country’s major free-to-air broadcasters, to drive the expansion of the FAST ecosystem in the Southeast Asian nation. Stingray and Just For Laughs joined forces to bring the Just For Laughs Stand-Up channel to Samsung TV Plus in Australia and New Zealand. JoySauce, a lifestyle and entertainment company targeted at “American Asians” and Asian pop culture fans, launched its JoySauce TV platform on The Roku Channel. A dedicated NCIS: New Orleans channel is set to launch on Samsung TV Plus across Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
The Art of AI
ScreenMDM Talks’ The SwitchScreen strand welcomed Jonathan Yunger, veteran film producer and co-founder and CEO of Arcana Labs, to discuss how the company is using artist-driven AI to protect the integrity of storytelling, lower barriers to entry for new artists, and enhance the financial viability of indie moviemaking.
Unlike many AI platforms for creatives, Arcana Labs has its roots in Hollywood, not Silicon Valley; co-founder Yunger is a longtime producer, running Millennium Media, with some 50 credits to his name.
His AI “lightbulb moment” happened about five years ago, mid-production on an indie film in Europe. Facing unaffordable licensing fees for a specific image needed, Yunger was introduced to Midjourney on Discord. While his early experiments with the tech were crude, he could see the potential, and together with another veteran creative, screenwriter and producer, Hank Hoffman, Arcana Labs was born.
“Can we figure out how these AI tools work? Can we put them all into a sandbox where you could try to maintain as much control as possible to raise production value and lower costs? Is it possible that we’re on the horizon of a brand-new toolset?”
