Vertical Video Is Going to Become Television
The phone is not merely a distribution screen. It is becoming a native television format.
Vertical video began as a constraint.
Then it became a language.
The next step is programming.
Brands still produce enormous numbers of isolated short videos designed to win individual moments of attention. But audiences already demonstrate that they will follow recurring characters, storylines and formats across episodes.
That means vertical video can support something closer to television: seasons, ensembles, cliffhangers, recurring locations and narrative development.
The production grammar will be different. Faster openings. Intimate framing. Comment driven feedback. Flexible episode length. Stories that understand the audience can respond between installments.
This is not television squeezed into a phone.
It is television redesigned around the phone.
For brands, the opportunity is significant. Instead of interrupting entertainment, they can own a format audiences voluntarily return to.
The question becomes less “What should we post today?”
And more “What is our show?”