Vurt brings short-form vertical video to television screens
Vurt, a vertical video streaming startup, is pushing an unconventional idea: that short-form vertical videos belong on television screens, not just phones. Whilst major streaming services like Disney Plus and HBO Max have been experimenting with vertical content to compete with TikTok and Instagram, Vurt has taken a different approach by developing dedicated apps for Apple TV and Android TV. This move challenges the assumption that vertical content is inherently mobile-first and suggests a new evolution in how we consume short-form entertainment.
Since launching in March, Vurt has grown its user base from 10,000 to 675,000 users and now offers 3,500 episodes across more than 100 shows. Unlike competitors such as DramaBox and ReelShort, which have become filled with AI-generated content, Vurt produces human-created microdramas and offers free ad-supported viewing instead of complicated microtransaction systems. The platform signs 50/50 revenue-sharing agreements with creators and production studios, emphasising fairness whilst developing new content types including original series and livestreamed sporting events.
- Startup Vurt brings vertical microdramas to TV screens, not just phones
- Grown from 10,000 to 675,000 users since March with free, human-made content
- Challenges competitors by rejecting AI content and microtransactions
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Vertical video is the portrait-orientation format used on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, designed to be watched on smartphones. Vurt is a streaming startup bringing this format to television screens through dedicated apps for Apple TV and Android TV. The company's approach challenges the assumption that short-form vertical content belongs exclusively on mobile devices.
Several large streaming services, including Disney Plus and HBO Max, have recently begun experimenting with vertical content as they compete with social media platforms. However, Vurt is taking a different approach by building an entire service around vertical video rather than incorporating it as a secondary feature. This suggests the entertainment industry's understanding of where and how people watch content may be shifting.
Vurt differentiates itself by prioritising human-created content over AI-generated material, a strategy that distinguishes it from some rival platforms in the same space. The service offers free, ad-supported viewing and uses 50/50 revenue-sharing agreements with creators and studios. Since its launch, the platform has expanded its content catalogue to include original series and live sporting events alongside its core programming.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Advocates contend that expanding vertical video to television screens represents genuine innovation. Young audiences increasingly prefer vertical formats, and Vurt's platform democratises access whilst championing fair creator economics and human-created content over AI-generated material. The platform's rapid growth from 10,000 to 675,000 users in months suggests authentic consumer demand. Format diversity on television expands viewer choice without displacing traditional content, and vertical video displays perfectly well on modern TV screens, simply offering another viewing option.
The case against
Critics argue that vertical video remains fundamentally mismatched to television viewing. TV screens are inherently landscape-oriented, and vertical content creates a suboptimal viewing experience with significant wasted screen space. Audiences already access vertical content abundantly on phones through TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts, making a dedicated TV platform redundant for most viewers. The 675,000-user base, modest compared to major competitors, suggests limited consumer appetite for vertical video specifically on television, indicating that the market has effectively rejected this format pairing.
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Originally published by The Verge as “Vurt wants you to look at vertical videos as a genre of their own”.