After years in which streaming services got used to fighting for viewers' free time with long series and all–night binges, an attempt is now arriving in Israel to test a completely opposite model: Episodes of only two minutes.
Cellcom TV announced the launch of a new "Micro–drama" category in collaboration with the company Shortical, which will offer short series in a vertical format – such that is intended primarily for the phone screen. This is a format that has already gained momentum in the world, especially among young users who prefer fast, short, and intense content – such that can be consumed between commutes, during a break, or while scrolling.
In the first stage, 10 original Shortical series will be uploaded to the service. Cellcom TV customers will receive free access to the first episodes of each series, and thereafter will be required to move to the company's dedicated app to continue watching. The model is more reminiscent of mobile apps and free games than classic television services – a short taste intended to keep the viewer in.
The micro–drama itself is built entirely differently from traditional television. Each episode lasts about two minutes only, but an entire series can include dozens of short episodes that make up a full plot. The emphasis is on a fast pace, a suspenseful ending in almost every episode, and many twists that try to generate immediate continued viewing.
Shortical, which was founded by the Israeli entrepreneurs Guy Shimoni, Igal Rosen, and Nadav Brandstater, operates in a field that is in particularly rapid growth. According to company data, hundreds of micro–drama apps already exist in the world, and the field has recorded more than 2.3 billion downloads. In China, where the format became particularly popular, it is already an industry that turns over enormous sums.
Among the series that will be offered for viewing in Israel are romantic and melodramatic dramas such as "I Married a Prisoner", "Protect My Heart", and "Forgive Me Father for I Have Sinned" – all of them are built around sharp conflicts, family secrets, and dramatic romances, in a format influenced quite a bit by the language of TikTok and social networks.
In Cellcom, they are now trying to test whether the Israeli audience is also ready to change its viewing habits. After video shortened from YouTube to TikTok, the question is whether the world of series is also on the way to shrinking into episodes that take less time than it takes to make coffee.