Vertical storytelling has officially moved from a niche experiment to a mainstream business model generating real revenue, and ReelShort is at the forefront of this disruption at MIPCOM 2026. The company arrived in Cannes with two cutting-edge strategies designed to solidify its global footprint: forming content aggregation alliances with telecom operators and launching a highly successful branded content division for vertical screens.
These vanguard moves were central to the discussions at the highly anticipated morning panel PIVOT! Why Every Entertainment Company Needs a Vertical Strategy. The session brought together platforms and studios to unpack how mobile-first content achieved in Asia what streaming took a decade to do in the West. Industry leaders analyzed how content is produced, distributed, and monetized in vertical formats, offering a direct look at what a credible strategy requires in 2026 and where traditional entertainment companies risk getting left behind.
Speaking on the company’s specific market objectives, Sammie Hao, Head of Talent and Business Development at Crazy Maple Studio (the parent company of ReelShort), outlined their aggressive push into telecom partnerships. ‘This MIPCOM, we are heavily targeting telcos to build content aggregation alliances’. explained Hao. ‘We have already established a successful bundling plan with AIS in Thailand to offer our content, and we are looking to replicate and expand that model globally’.
Alongside telecom distribution, ReelShort is breaking new ground in advertising with its branded content microdramas. The company has already produced six branded titles, structured with a maximum of 10 episodes that run no longer than two minutes each. This format has attracted major international brands, with the studio already working alongside Crocs, Monopoly Go, and Anker, while preparing to announce a major upcoming partnership with a French cosmetics brand.
The metrics behind this branded push are highly compelling for the advertising sector. Hao revealed that their recent campaign for Crocs achieved a massive 10 million views, generating significant social impact. To further entice corporate partners, ReelShort now offers a commercial guarantee of at least 3 million views for the brands they collaborate with.
By seamlessly blending highly engaging, bite-sized narratives with guaranteed audience reach and strategic telecom distribution, ReelShort is proving at MIPCOM that the vertical format is no longer just the future of mobile entertainment—it is a highly profitable reality today.
