This’ll Just Take a Minute: The Rapid Evolution of Short Form Video

Remember the days when you couldn’t imagine watching a parcel of content, say, while pumping gas? Or waiting in the checkout line? Or, let’s be honest, at a red light? Neither do we. Cynopsis spoke with short-form experts who will be featured speakers at our Short Form Video Festival, taking place on March 6 in NYC, to get the lay of the land right now, and determine where producers need to be to succeed moving forward.

Short form content is here to stay, and the ecosystem is evolving at light speed. Here are just a few toplines from 2019, and it’s only February: Netflix is rolling out an integration that enables iOS users to share their favorite movies and TV shows via Instagram Stories. Snap is rekindling its Yellow incubator program looking for the next crop of original content creators for Snapchat. Television advertising at just 5-7 seconds will provide a “huge” opportunity for marketers in the next 12-18 months, according to the World Advertising Research Council.

As with many businesses in the heady early days, just about everyone in media wants a piece of the action. Digital-first companies continue to sprout up—not the least of them the Jeffrey Katzenberg-led short-form company Quibi, which launched with a cool $1 billion in investment and major Hollywood backing. Legacy content producers across genres have escalated offshoot and original short form offerings, and partnerships among brands, producers and name talent are flourishing.

All have good reason to step on the accelerator. Smartphone video viewing topped 50 percent globally for the first time in last year, according to Ooyala’s Q2 2018 Global Video Index Report, with video plays on mobile devices surging 9.8 percent. eMarketer projects in 2019 many large platforms will double down on high-quality video content geared for a mobile audience. This will increase demand for vertical video. Video advertising will also become less skippable and more interactive.

Key to sustainable success, however, is a scalable, flexible game plan. “Strategy is essential for short-form content since we’re in a time of transition regarding business models,” says David Tochterman, Emmy-nominated producer and CEO of Canvas Media, whose latest short-form series is Limelight on the Yarn Platform. “Whether you’re looking to attract brands, to incubate new ideas or drive audience to longer content you should know your strategy and endgame,” adds Tochterman, who’s moderating the Short Form Festival panel, Finding the Right Platforms for Premium Short Form Video.

Can the maturing market sustain the onslaught of short form in the long term? Opinions differ.

“I think we’re going to continue to see some shakeout,” predicts Stef Schwartz, Executive Vice President, Strategy & Operations, Viacom Digital Studios & Digital Partnerships Viacom Media Networks. “Both traditional and digital media companies are finding that diversified revenue streams and content distribution strategies are crucial to building or sustaining a viable business in today’s rapidly evolving landscape.”

Others suggest the rising tide will continue to lift all boats. “Ultimately, great content, regardless of length or where it lives, will break through and succeed,” says Brad Haugen, president of ATTN:, a socially driven short-form powerhouse that’s attracted the likes of President Barack Obama and Karlie Kloss as content partners and expanded from bite-size-only shows into long-form content with ABC and other partners. “We absolutely think that there is room for everyone in the space and competition will only make everyone better.”

Michael Cohen, COO of Whistle, believes the competition “forces everyone to get better and places a greater priority on creating quality content that audiences seek out.” Whistle this summer announced a $28 million funding round, and recently acquired digital content studio New Form, which counts Ron Howard as a backer—a deal Cohen cites as a way to scale development and production capabilities.

“We work with partners who reflect and share similar values, celebrate the wins, not the fails; foster a sense of belonging and camaraderie; and [deliver] inspirational ‘everyman’ narratives, Cohen says of Whistle’s expansion ethos.

Different Strokes for Different Distribution Models
Content producers also need to remain agile and flexible regarding distribution models. For example, although ATTN: got its start on Facebook, “and we saw tremendous success and growth on that platform,” Haugen says, “over the last few years we have seen Instagram and others like Snapchat really take off.”

The key to success on any platform, he adds, “is to program natively to each one,” Haugen says. “The type of content that will work well on Facebook is very different from what will work well on YouTube or IGTV. Each platform has a different audience and is set up for a different user experience, so a one-size fits all approach won’t work. To reach audiences in an authentic manner on social you need to learn who your audience is on each platforms and how they consume content there, and then program with that in mind.”

Viacom Digital Studios—whose Comedy Central’s The Daily Show – Between the Scenes won an Emmy in the outstanding short form variety series category—develops platform-specific content for each major social player and their respective audiences.

“Facebook and Instagram are great for community building, Twitter is the digital water cooler for live and topical events, Snapchat is still immensely popular among younger fans, and YouTube is the most mature of the platforms and where you see a more lean-back viewing experience similar to TV,” Schwartz says.

More info and insights will be shared March 6 at the Short Form Video Festival.

– Cathy Applefeld Olson