Vurt Bets Vertical Microdramas Belong on Smart TVs

Unlike most vertical microdrama platforms that focus on mobile viewing, Vurt has pivoted to smart TVs. In an interview with The Verge this week, cofounder and angel investor Hilmon Sorey said the push came from user feedback. People wanted to beam the verticals they were already watching on phones to bigger screens. Vurt first built casting to smart TVs, but decided casting was not the best experience because the company could use large-screen technology for features such as HD/4K video and high-quality audio.

Vurt’s library is made up mostly of soapy, melodramatic microdramas, similar to those that made rivals DramaBox and ReelShort popular. But while those platforms have become inundated with AI-generated content, Vurt says the vast majority of its series use human casts and crews. The service is supported by ad partnerships, so viewers can watch all of it for free rather than navigating microtransactions. Sorey described a “free-to-finish” model as the main way Vurt tries to be fair to users.

“If you are a platform that’s doing your own original content and you don’t have creators to pay, then ‘give us $20 and we’ll give you 500 coffee beans’ kind of gamification is intentional,” Sorey said. “It’s a ruse that they can use to boggle your mind because they control that entire content ecosystem.”

To build its library, Vurt signs licensing agreements with production studios and creators with a 50/50 revenue split. Independent creators can submit projects directly for distribution, and once approved, a project can be available to stream in a few days. Sorey said fairness to creators and taking cues from them are core tenets of Vurt’s corporate philosophy.

Vurt’s move to television comes as more established vertical platforms look beyond phones. In June, Instagram expanded its TV app to include Reels, disappearing Stories, and horizontally oriented videos, moves that appeared aimed at keeping pace with YouTube. Vurt said it is staying focused on vertical content while developing new kinds of programming, including original series and livestreamed sporting events.

Before launching its TV apps, Vurt consulted content creators about how they like to watch films and TV shows. Many said they preferred movie theaters or big screens because those experiences felt immersive. But the creators also insisted that vertical microdramas can feel just as engaging whether watched on a phone with earbuds or on a television screen, according to Sorey.

“You can have a different kind of immersive experience — even on a wide screen in vertical format — because verticals tell their stories in a very different way,” Sorey said. “You’ve got to have your hook to begin and at the tail end of that, you’ve got to thrust them into the next episode by virtue of a cliffhanger.”

Sorey believes the stylistic elements vertical microdramas are known for — formulaic plots, questionable acting, and exceedingly short episodes — make them a specific kind of entertainment distinct from traditional TV shows and films. Those qualities lead some people to see vertical content as unwatchable, but they also appear to be part of what keeps Vurt’s users engaged. Sorey said Vurt has seen overall engagement time increase for viewers using its TV apps.