BREAKINGVIEWS — Microdramas are set to upstage Hollywood's A — list

(The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are her own.) By Jennifer Saba NEW YORK, Oct 16 (Reuters Breakingviews) — ReelShort and other apps offering two-minute video serials rival Netflix and Disney for views. Low costs and smartphone users explain the success of series like "Rejecting My Five Female Mates". After taking China by storm, the format spells more gloom for Tinseltown incumbents. Full view will be published shortly. Follow Jennifer Saba on Bluesky and LinkedIn. Context News YouTube said on September 23 that so-called microdramas surpassed 6.5 billion views in the first half of 2026 and that vertical shorts on TV increased by over 90% year-over-year for the same period. Netflix co-Chief Executive Ted Sarandos said at an industry conference on September 30 that the streaming service was not growing as fast as he would like. (Editing by Peter Thal Larsen; Production by Maya Nandhini) ((For previous columns by the author, Reuters customers can click on SABA/ jennifer.saba@thomsonreuters.com)