Thomas K. Arnold

October 14, 2026

CANNES, France — Artificial intelligence and vertical dramas are two of the hottest topics at this year’s MIPCOM Cannes, reflecting an entertainment industry increasingly focused on new ways to produce, distribute and monetize content.

Both have an overwhelming presence at the annual television show marketplace here on the French Riviera, from exhibition stands and promotional displays to keynote presentations, panel discussions and conversations on the convention floor.

AI has an especially prominent role, with MIPCOM launching its inaugural AI Entertainment Forum, dedicated to exploring how artificial intelligence is transforming content development, production, distribution and monetization.

Utopai Studios, an AI-native entertainment company, is a headline partner of the initiative. Co-founder and CEO Cecilia Shen, a former Google engineer who co-founded the company in 2022, participated in an Oct. 12 keynote exploring AI’s potential to reshape the traditional studio model, alongside Ken Oh, CEO of CJ ENM Studios.

Other sessions have addressed AI-generated content, licensing programming libraries for AI training, intellectual property rights and the technology’s potential to reduce production costs and streamline workflows.

Meanwhile, vertical dramas — short, serialized programs designed primarily for smartphones — have become another dominant talking point.

Typically consisting of episodes lasting just one or two minutes, the programs have emerged as a booming business, particularly in Asia, and are increasingly attracting the attention of traditional Hollywood studios, streaming services and advertisers.

The format was the focus of an Oct. 12 keynote panel, “Small Screens, Big Impact: Inside the Vertical Drama Boom,” featuring Cathy Boxall, global head of entertainment at Dentsu; Shekhar Deshpande of Meta; and Kevin Batchelor, managing director of Banijay-owned Electric Robin. The discussion was moderated by Manori Ravindran of The Ankler.

The panel explored how the format is creating new opportunities for advertisers to become part of the entertainment itself rather than simply interrupting it with commercials.

Batchelor stressed the importance of putting storytelling first, while Deshpande discussed the potential for brands to become characters in the narratives. He also hinted Meta, through its social media platforms Instagram and Facebook, was ready to plunge head-first into proprietary vertical dramas as early as next year.

Boxall highlighted another advantage of the format: its relatively short production cycle, which allows branded programs to launch alongside new products.

One example is “The Golden Pear Affair,” a 55-episode vertical drama developed by Dentsu Entertainment for Procter & Gamble’s Native personal-care brand, with the brand’s products incorporated into the storyline. A snippet show to audience members in the Grand Auditorium, revealed a seamless, and yet in-your-face, integration – which panelists said was a harbinger of things to come.

A new Dentsu study involving 8,400 consumers in 12 markets found that one in five consumers watches microdramas. Among viewers of the format, 62% reported viewing sessions lasting more than an hour, suggesting that short episodes don’t necessarily translate into short viewing sessions.

The business is also attracting traditional media companies. A+E Global Media and Lifetime are bringing nearly 200 library titles to international buyers as chapter-based vertical microseries, while developing original programming specifically for mobile audiences.

MIPCOM has responded to the growing interest with a dedicated Microdrama & Vertical Content program, including an industry summit, matchmaking opportunities and a series of presentations exploring the economics of mobile-first storytelling.

“The boundaries of the entertainment business are changing, and Mipcom Cannes is changing with them,” MIPCOM director Lucy Smith said in an interview ahead of the market.

The convergence of AI and vertical dramas is particularly significant. AI could dramatically accelerate the production, localization and distribution of mobile-first programming, potentially creating new business opportunities for traditional studios and content owners.