RoseBerry Media has formed as a new studio that’s focused on producing and adapting TV library content from partners into mobile-first vertical video in the trending, serialized micro-content format. It’s also planning to launch a premium microseries direct-to-consumer platform this summer.
The studio is founded by Guy Hameiri, Lior Friedman, Itay Koppel and Simi Efrati, representing a leadership team with decades of experience across television, distribution, IP, monetization and streaming.
The company already has secured U.S. studio and leading super-indie production and distribution houses as partners, including major names like All3Media, Banijay Rights, Fremantle, A+E Global Media and Cineflix Rights.
Per the announcement, those companies have signed on to have RoseBerry repurpose select shows from their respective existing libraries into mobile-first, micro-content vertical video series.
International TV creator and producer Hameiri and former Amagi executive Friedman told StreamTV Insider that RoseBerry is starting with select titles from each partner, as not all content is a fit for the vertical or micro-series format.
“Our existing pipeline puts us with +500 titles from partners by the end of the year,” the executives shared.
In addition to library content, the executives said RoseBerry is working together with partners to identify IP that will resonate for vertical micro-content audiences, including formats.
It’s also “producing many vertically-native originals” as a studio and co-producing with partners.
More details to come about the planned DTC app debuting this summer, but Hameiri and Friedman did confirm that verticalized content from RoseBerry’s launch partners will be included in the offering, as well as originals. Specific titles will be disclosed later, but they shared some of the initial genre focuses including:
- Documentary
- True crime - including original US True Crime productions.
- Reality - including original US vertically-native reality formats
- Scripted
- Drama
It also sees a chance to distribute the verticalized micro-series more broadly.
“The vertical market is at its infancy right now,” Hameiri and Friedman said. “We see an opportunity to build a vertical television economy across many mobile apps, where people spend much of their time today.”
Opportunity for premium, brand-safe microcontent and vertical mobile video
The mobile vertical video microdrama format is one that’s been trending and according to the company is now a $10 billion global market that’s scaling rapidly with near-quadruple revenue growth among leading platforms.
Unlike short-form social video, this format is serialized content with a full storyline told but spliced up into bite-sized episodes. Microepisodes typically run 1-3 minutes in length that often end on high-intrigue or drama moments and cliffhangers that encourage viewers to swipe or scroll to the next episode.
And where long-form TV content from RoseBerry's partners will be verticalized into miniature episode formats for mobile.
Now not all of the popular microdrama apps are exactly known for quality (in fact often the opposite with some popular China-based microdrama apps focused on soapy, high-drama and sometimes salacious storylines) – but where RoseBerry is looking to position itself on the premium end of the trend.
“RoseBerry is setting a new benchmark for premium vertical television, mobile‑first by design. Vertical is one of the fastest‑growing areas in the media sector, yet it is rarely defined by true craftsmanship or quality,” Hameiri said in a statement. “We’re bringing together world‑class creative talent, technologists, and partners to elevate Vertical into a premium entertainment category.”
They’re not the only ones looking to pursue the mobile-first microcontent format and market. Lloyd Bruan and his Banyan Ventures is among one of the founders and investors of a microcontent studio that launched last year dubbed MicroCo. And just last month CEO Jana Winograde and CCO Susan Rovner revealed the name of its consumer-facing platform and U.S.-based microseries studio as aTwist. Cineverse is also an investor in that effort and previously shared with StreamTV Insider about plans by MicroCo to bring improved storytelling and user experiences to the microdrama format.
Asked about the main opportunity RoseBerry sees with its new venture, the co-founders said that vertical video content is already the most-consumed media form in the world, with the average person watching 6 hours and 39 minutes of vertical video each week – numbers that grow with younger demos.
They see an opportunity both with mobile microseries and, given that RoseBerry is focused on brand-safe content, chances to bring advertisers and branded content into the mix.
“We believe that providing a meaningful entertainment experience for the mobile audience is a huge opportunity that will drive growth for both the media and the mobile app market,” the Roseberry execs told us. “Branded content productions for mobile, advertisers who are leaning into these productions, are all indicators that this a space to watch.
Library verticalization
As mentioned, RoseBerry’s model is focused on both original IP and high-value library adaptation - in what it refers to as a unique practice of “library verticalization.”
The practice uses RoseBerry’s proprietary AI-powered workflows and technology. According to Hameiri and Friedman that involves work with the tech team to distill the in-house TV experience into a set of workflows powered by AI that cover each step of the library repurposing and verticalization process.
“It allows us and our partners to benefit from a new title built with micro-episodes for the vertical audience which consumes more and more content on mobile,” they said.
CTV not off the table down the line
For now, RoseBerry is laser-focused on mobile-first microseries, based on the trajectory is sees for mobile video consumption as well as potential to innovate with new user behaviors and data, per Hameiri and Friedman.
That said, CTV and other environments aren’t necessarily off the table for the studio in the future.
“We are open to other areas to exploit the IP we have created,” the execs said when asked about expansions into CTV.
RoseBerry is headquartered in New York, with creative and technology hubs in London and Tel Aviv.
Want to learn more about what RoseBerry is doing? The company will be on stage at the StreamTV Show in Denver this June as part of the Media Universe Summit.