French vertical drama bets on quality: ARTE and France TV step in

Public broadcasters produce their own vertical series

French public TV is now producing native vertical fiction. ARTE released “3 minutes avant la fin du monde”, a sci-fi vertical series (9 episodes, 9:16, created by Lucas Brincin, directed by Léa Rouaud), while France TV Slash released “P*tain de soirée” (20 episodes, with Roman Doduik and Lou Howard). (Source: CNC, 2026.)

A deliberate bet on quality

At a CNC round table, French creators framed the vertical format as a creative opportunity, not a constraint — explicitly distancing themselves from “sloppy” micro-drama. Producers note budgets “divided by three or four” (Saïda Ghouddane, Pandora Créations), making the format accessible. (Source: CNC, 2026.)

Public money, but no dedicated scheme yet

These series were backed through existing public funds (France Télévisions, ARTE, the CNC's automatic and selective funds, regional support) — but France still has no CNC scheme dedicated to the vertical format. The industry is organizing fast all the same: Storyshort produced three vertical dramas in three weeks, Banijay and Mediawan are moving in, and trade outlet Écran Total even launched a dedicated analysis tool, “Vertical”, in June 2026. (Sources: CNC, Streaming Radar, CB News.)

Follow it in the index

Vertical Clap Index tracks every French platform — Storyshort, Sweetz, France TV Slash, TF1, ARTE — alongside the rest of the world. See France in the index →