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It feels like every other week we receive news about the entertainment industry that impacts us as television viewers. There is price increases. There is company mergers. Live sports streaming is complicated. And there’s an ongoing discussion about whether we’re back in the age of cable TV, despite streaming services taking over our wallets and screens.
It’s no surprise that on average we spend $101 per month on streaming here in the United States. It is probably It’s no surprise that the number of households that still have traditional television has fallen to 41%, while 91% of us have a streaming subscription, according to Parks Associates. Were streaming Stranger Things, NFL games, Landman and live events like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. We watch a lot at home and more on our phones, whether we’re on the go or staying at home.
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But something else is happening. As viewers, we are changing the type of content that is king and we are influencing the way and type of stories that are created.
Microseries could be the next trendy genre
Deloitte has published its Technology, Media and Telecommunications Forecast Report for 2026 in November, highlighting the new directions television is taking, thanks to the evolution of our viewing habits. Takeaway meals? Get ready for more microseries and video podcasts.
This year, media research experts say we’re consuming more video content through social media and streaming services, such as YouTube, Netflix and TikTok, rather than traditional television. Although there is a slight increase across all generations, Generation Z and millennials Respondents get most of their video entertainment from social media and consider it their primary way of watching TV: through their phones. It’s a shift that has accustomed audiences to short-form forms of entertainment where there’s an appetite for short-form vertical videos, and microseries could become the next big wave.
Popularized in China, microseries – and their subgroup, microdramas – are short television shows and films designed for viewing on phones, typically lasting one to two minutes per episode. (Yes, it looks like Quibi, now defunct platform.) The concept is taking off in the UK, where there are production houses like Onset Octopus dedicated solely to the format, and here in the US, where you can find apps like ReelShort, DramaBox or GoodShort that stream soap opera-style drama.
Sometimes you may have seen clips pop up on your TikTok or Instagram feed, inviting you to stream I Kicked Out My Three Fiances in My Second Life in its entirety, broken up into 60- or 90-second segments. Although some content is free, a paid subscription is required to stream all content in an app’s library.
Here’s a look at some titles that the Dramabox microdrama app has to offer.
Deloitte predicts that by 2026, In-app revenue from microseries will increase to $7.8 billion, double the projected amount for 2025 of $3.8 billion. For traditional Hollywood entertainment brands, there are opportunities to jump into this growing genre of microcontent through collaborations with individual creators, carefully curated use of generative AI, or using what these companies already own.
When I spoke with Wenny Katzenstein, a managing director at Deloitte, she noted that media giants may find an opportunity to capture viewers’ attention by “using them to go back to intellectual property that already exists.” It’s a way to reconnect with fans like us by turning our attention to familiar characters and titles via newly created microcontent – or even AI-generated content – and it may not be that far away for some companies.
Eric Schrier, president of Disney Television Studios, recently told Variety that it hopes to bring microstorytelling to the platform via vertical video soon, but there are no specific plans at the moment. For now, the focus is on getting the production up to par to meet Disney Plus standards.
Viewers seem open to more, with Activate Consulting reporting that 52% of adults the interviewer aged 18 to 34 used at least one microdrama app to watch something. This doesn’t mean that streaming TV platforms will disappear, but it could mean that what we see in vertical video will extend to much more than just that. The Tubi scenes functionality or experience of Netflix with abbreviated feeds on its mobile application.
Video podcasts, or vodcasts, are growing in popularity
Who said podcasts are just for your ears? Video podcasts appear on your TV and phone screens as often as new episodes of network shows like Chicago Fire. There’s also a term for them that you can either love or hate: vodcasts.
It’s likely that you’ve already watched video podcasts on YouTube, Spotify, or Wondery, and it’s also likely that you’ve scrolled through clips (viral or not) on social media. Some viewers stream episodes using paid subscriptions, and you probably also watch ads in exchange for a free episode. Any way you slice it, it’s a format that’s here to stay, and as you might have guessed, two groups watch it regularly: millennials and Gen Z.
During its fall 2025 survey, Deloitte learned that 27% of surveyed U.S. consumers watch podcasts weekly, and Activate Consulting said 70% of the top 50 U.S. audio podcasts have a video offering. When you think of your must-watch TV shows, do you include titles like Crime Junkie AF or Club Shay Shay? By highlighting factors such as parasocial relationships with guests and vodcast hosts, as well as the ability to incorporate visuals, Deloitte noted that viewers gain a better sense of authenticity and relatability, making them more likely to come back and watch more.
Already essential on YouTube, vodcasts are spreading to more screens. In a major move, Netflix is getting into the game, partnering with iHeartMediaBarstool Sports and Spotify will launch video podcasts on the streaming platform in 2026 for US viewers. If you’re a fan of The Breakfast Club, The Ringer NFL Show, Conspiracy Theories, or The Ryen Russillo Show, you’ll be able to open the Netflix app to stream these titles and at least two dozen others.
One of the vodcast titles you’ll see on Netflix next year.
What does this mean for the future of television?
The Hollywood Reporter described Vancouver as a microdrama production hotspot, with some interest coming from Hollywood. And Netflix is not the only major streamer to enter the vodcast arena, since Prime Video broadcasts new episodes of New Heights every week with Jason and Travis Kelce. Streaming services and other media companies continue to test vertical video formats in different ways.
Viewers like you – who watch TV on their phones – should prepare themselves for newer, broader forms of entertainment that include mini-episodes and TV shows (called vodcasts). Expect an increase in access to video podcasts on your phones and TVs next year and beyond, but don’t expect anyone to try to take away the traditional weekly medical procedures and bingeable hour-long episodes just yet. Streaming and cable are still on the menu, but they’re also integrated into your phone’s screen.
I asked Katzenstein what all this says about each generation’s preferences for content and how it’s delivered.
“I think the level of access that younger generations have and have been trained to get used to has a big implication on their desire to engage,” she said. “I think there’s also the desire to have relevant content when I want it, how I want it – it’s something that I think younger generations are just used to.”
Keeping his own teenage children in mind, Katzenstein explained that the idea of having to wait to get access to movies in theaters, or for something to come to streaming or linear television – released on the terms of a major media provider – is “just completely different for generations that are growing up seeing people that are relevant to them.” She added that entertainment companies will be pushed to understand this and respond to this need.
