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TellyCast: The content industry podcastAuthor: Justin Crosby
A weekly podcast featuring opinionated international content industry business leaders joining Justin Crosby to discuss the week's top industry news stories. In each episode we discuss key business developments around the world and look forward to the big moments in the week ahead. New episode every Thursday. Language: en-us Genres: Film Interviews, TV & Film Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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How Micro Drama Is Rewriting TV: COL Group’s Timothy Oh on the Future of Vertical Storytelling
Episode 263
Wednesday, 1 April, 2026
This week on TellyCast, Justin Crosby speaks to Timothy Oh from COL Group, one of the biggest players in the booming micro drama business.As the company behind platforms including ReelShort, Timothy explains why short-form, vertical storytelling has exploded in China and the US, why it is now starting to spread across Europe, and what it could mean for broadcasters, producers and content businesses in the UK.The conversation explores why micro drama has already overtaken the Chinese box office, how companies are making tens of millions of dollars from series costing a fraction of traditional TV budgets, and why the next battle will be fought over monetisation, IP and audience ownership.Justin and Timothy also discuss why British audiences may need their own version of micro drama, why the current content often feels too “cheesy” for UK viewers, and how broadcasters could reinvent familiar brands and soaps for a vertical, mobile-first world.Inside this episode:– Why micro drama has become one of the fastest-growing sectors in global entertainment– How COL Group built a global micro drama empire– The role of apps including ReelShort in driving the market– Why UK broadcasters and producers are starting to pay attention– How data, testing and constant iteration drive success in social video– Whether micro drama will eventually move onto platforms like YouTube, TikTok and streaming services– Why the future of digital-first storytelling may depend on creating local content for local audiencesIf you want to understand where the next wave of social video and digital-first entertainment is heading, this is an episode you do not want to miss. Sign up for The Drop newsletterSupport the showEnrol on the TellyCast Digital BootcampBuy tickets to How to Make Money in DigitalEnter the Digital Video AwardsSubscribe to the TellyCast YouTube channel for exclusive TV industry videosFollow us on LinkedInConnect with Justin on LinkedINTellyCast videos on YouTubeTellyCast websiteTellyCast instaTellyCast TwitterTellyCast TikTok
