Webcomics and public TV move into vertical drama

WEBTOON enters the format

On 17 August 2026, the digital-comics giant WEBTOON (Naver group) launched “Short Dramas”, a slate of six live-action vertical series adapted from its popular romance webcomics — among them “Maybe Meant to Be”, “Love Bites” and “I'll Marry Your Brother”. Its advantage: built-in fandoms. (Source: Mashable, August 2026.)

European public broadcasters try it too

In France, France TV Slash released “P*tain de soirée”, described as its first natively-written vertical series (by creator Roman Doduik, 20 episodes), while TF1 launched a fully AI-generated vertical series. Traditional television is testing the format. (Source: verticaldrama.fr.)

A talent training ground?

At Series Mania in Lille, former Channel 4 drama boss Caroline Hollick argued that cheaper-to-produce vertical dramas could become a training engine for new writers — “if we start to fund it properly, oversee it properly.” Producer Nadine Marsh-Edwards (Greenacre Films) urged the industry to treat microdramas “as an opportunity”, while staying vigilant about stereotypes and representation. (Source: Broadcast, March 2026.)

Follow it in the index

New platforms, new countries, new formats: Vertical Clap Index tracks them as they arrive. Explore the index →