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There’s no doubt that 2026 will go down as a milestone year for the growth in popularity of vertical media content in the U.S. The sector is booming but still incredibly diffuse. That will change as microdramas and
other formats proliferate and generate more advertising, subscription and in-app purchase revenue.
Those are among the conclusions drawn in a study of the vertical media sector’s growth during the first half of 2026 by Owl & Co., a market research and consulting firm that has zeroed in on microdramas and such as the next big content opportunity for new and traditional outfits. Hernan Lopez, founder and CEO of Owl & Co., is author of“Vertical Economy Report 1H26: Mapping Consumption, Creation, Value Capture Across a $150B Audiovisual Language.”
For 2026, vertical media is projected to generate $150 billion in revenue in global markets outside of China, where the microdrama biz is well established. That’s projected to be a 42% gain over 2025. Most of that $150 billion is expected to come from advertising revenue ($131 billion) via platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook. The numbers are approaching the volume of revenue generated in the U.S. by subscription streaming platforms. In other words, it’s not insignificant. That’s why Disney unveiled with fanfare a cutting-edge partnership with TikTok to allow authorized use of Disney IP for fan-made content.
“I think it makes sense for every company to lean into this medium which really represents a new native-digital visual language,” Lopez says. “Disney has a brand that’s so unique and it has a global fandom. It makes it obvious why they will be the first ones to do it, but I think the one step that nobody has taken at scale is to produce original verticals.”
There’s a scramble amid startup platforms to gain market share and become the brand that is synonymous with the burgeoning medium. It’s increasingly looking like a rerun of the arms race around streaming before the pandemic as many of the top players in vertical apps – ReelShort, DramaBox, PineDrama, MyDrama — spend freely on social media marketing to make a name for themselves.
“Some creators and show producers are finding viewership organically. But the apps themselves are spending a significant share of their revenue in customer acquisition,” Lopez says. “It’s a lot like what TikTok was doing in the year 2020 when it was becoming popular. A lot of people were finding TikTok organically, but in addition to that TikTok was promoting itself on ads on Instagram and Snapchat. It’s a similar playbook.”
Among the notable stats in the report:
** The U.S. accounts for about 40% of the $150 billion in projected 2026 revenue.
** Meta (Instagram, Facebook), ByteDance (TikTok) and YouTube generate 94% of the $150 billion.
** Meta generates 27% of its total revenue from vertical media.
** YouTube generates 22% of its total revenue from vertical media.
** ByteDance generates 72% of its total revenue from vertical media.
The sector is undeniably crowded. Owl & Co. research counts nearly 2,000 apps around the world fielding content and vying for consumer attention. The pace of new series introduction grew 25% in the second quarter of this year but total watch time of new series declined 4%.
“Traditional streaming learned years ago about the diminishing marginal returns of launching too many shows,” Lopez writes.
Romance stories and drama thrillers are still the dominant genres for short-form serials and recurring series, but that mix is changing. Shows and stars who wouldn’t be out of place on Food Network or HGTV are starting to populate with vertical shows. Programs devoted to business, finance and news accounted for 12% of vertical media views outside of China, per Owl & Co. research.
