Mr. Derik Murray reports

NETWORK MEDIA GROUP ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF NETWORK VERTICALS

Network Media Group Inc. has launched Network Verticals, a new division of Network Entertainment dedicated to developing, producing and distributing premium vertical content.

Verticals are feature-length stories serialized into short episodes, typically 50 to 100 episodes, each 60 to 90 seconds. The stories are filmed in a 9:16 aspect ratio designed specifically for smart phone viewing. The genre is known for its scripted dramas and soap-opera-like content and is now expanding into other genres, including unscripted true crime, comedy, music, horror and sports.

Network Verticals marks the company's entry into one of the fastest-growing formats in digital entertainment. Omdia, a global technology, media and telecommunications research firm, estimates that the global vertical content market generated $11-billion (U.S.) in revenue in 2025 and will reach $14-billion (U.S.) by the end of 2026, with Variety projecting $26-billion (U.S.) by 2030.

"Verticals are exploding because they meet the evolving needs of today's audiences, delivering short-form content to their cellphones," said Network's chief operating officer, Paul Gertz. "What makes the opportunity particularly compelling is the format's strong monetization potential, with subscription and transactional revenue already growing at an exponential rate. As the business evolves to include advertising, franchises and new distribution models, we see significant potential for premium storytelling and new revenue opportunities in this space."

Network's vice-president of studios, Eric MacDonald, said: "Network has a long history of adapting premium storytelling to new platforms and emerging formats. We were one of a select group of production companies chosen to create original content for the innovative but short-lived mobile platform Quibi, conceived by Jeffrey Katzenberg and launched at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which gave us an early opportunity to leverage our premium production experience to short-form, mobile-first storytelling."

Industry leaders are moving quickly into the space. Fox Entertainment has taken an equity stake in Holywater, the company behind the My Drama app, and committed to more than 200 shows for the platform. Disney+ has launched Verts, a dedicated vertical video feed inside its mobile app, while Netflix, Peacock, YouTube, Amazon and TikTok are all investing in vertical storytelling as both a stand-alone content category and a tool for audience engagement.

Hollywood talent is following the momentum. Academy Award nominee James Franco, Jimmy Fallon, Kevin Hart, Issa Rae and Kim Kardashian are among the high-profile talent who have entered the vertical space as producers, developers, on-screen talent and investors.

"Verticals represent one of the most significant shifts we've seen in how audiences now regularly discover and consume content," said Derik Murray, Network's founder and chief executive officer. "We've consistently earned the trust of the world's A-list talent, high-profile IP [intellectual property] holders and global distributors, streamers and broadcasters, and Network Verticals gives us the opportunity to bring that expertise to an evolving format and a new generation of audiences."

Network Verticals will operate as a dedicated content pipeline within the company. Additional details will be announced in the coming weeks.

About Network Media Group Inc.

Network Media Group is the parent company of Network Entertainment Inc.

Network Entertainment is a creatively driven production company that creates, finances and produces award-winning film, television and digital content for audiences around the world. For more than two decades, Network has built a reputation for telling the stories of extraordinary and iconic international figures.

Network has earned international recognition for productions including Facing Ali, which was shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary; Sidney, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, was produced in partnership with Oprah Winfrey and was released globally on Apple TV+, earning a Critics' Choice Documentary Award for Best Biographical Documentary and a Black Reel Award for Outstanding Documentary Feature; and Sly Lives! (also known as The Burden of Black Genius), a Peabody Award-winning and Emmy Award-nominated feature documentary, directed by Academy Award winner Ahmir (Questlove) Thompson. The film debuted at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and premiered shortly after on Hulu/Disney+. Another recent release, Brats, a feature documentary directed by Brat Pack member Andrew McCarthy in partnership with Neon and ABC News Studios, had its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, went straight to No. 1 on Hulu upon its release and won the 2025 ASCAP Award in the Top Streaming Film category.

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