TellyCast announces the second edition of How to Make Money in Digital, its business-focused event for TV producers and digital-first studios exploring monetisation, IP and social video strategy.

Factual programming continues to be a mainstay of traditional TV, but there’s no question it has come under severe financial pressure in recent years. Could partnerships with digital-first producers and distributors provide an answer? The Drop investigates

Chinese micro-drama expert Wenwen Han explains how China built a $13.8bn short-form drama industry, the rise of AI motion comics, shifting monetisation models and what Western producers still misunderstand about vertical storytelling.

By the start of 2026, the long-predicted shift towards digital-first production no longer feels theoretical. On a recent anonymous edition of TellyCast, two senior figures working inside the creator-led economy argued that momentum, money and institutional attention are finally converging, but warned that the next phase will reward only those willing to rethink budgets, rights and business models from the ground up  For the first guest, the change is already tangible. After years of being viewed as the poor cousin to broadcast, digital studios are now fielding calls from traditional players looking for help navigating social platforms and audience-driven publishing.

Wander Films launches UNTHINKABLE, a new YouTube survival series on its Wanderland channel, featuring first-hand stories of extreme endurance and resilience, starting with an eight-part run released fortnightly.

Microdrama apps and vertical dramas are booming globally, with studios, analysts and producers exploring new business models, low-budget production strategies and audience demand for mobile-first scripted content.

Samantha Sun explains how micro drama apps monetise vertical series, why Hollywood is pivoting to short-form storytelling, and what UK producers need to understand about social video, micropayments and digital-first production.

The Cosmic Shambles Network is set to launch an eight part music docuseries, For The Record: An Incomplete History of Music, on YouTube in June 2026, presented by Charlotte Ritchie and featuring over 100 interviews with musicians, scientists and historians.

TellyCast announces the first judges for the 2026 Digital Video Awards, as entries open for the digital-first celebration returning to London on May 21.

Steve Ackerman explains why podcasting is still a young industry, why audio and video must work together and how TV producers can build real value in the new content economy.

Sony Pictures, ITV Studios and Mako Studios reveal how digital formats are shifting from side projects to core strategy, with new YouTube-first channels, brand-cluster funding models and platform-driven commissioning shaping the next phase of the production economy.

An opinion on how the digital-first sector shifted in 2025, including creator studio growth, the rise of micro-drama, YouTube’s dominance, visualised podcasting and brand-funded entertainment, plus what these changes mean for producers in 2026.

Entries are now open for the 2026 TellyCast Digital Video Awards, celebrating excellence across creators, studios, broadcasters and brands in the digital-first video sector.

Quintus Studios' Adam Jacobs share 2026 digital-first outlook on low-cost long-form YouTube shows, evolving revenue models, niche audiences, algorithm volatility and the convergence of broadcasters and digital studios.

Strong Watch Studios’ Thom Gulseven shares his 2026 digital-first outlook, from platform-agnostic production and YouTube collabs to vodcast evolution and AI’s impact.

Channel 4 teams up with VisitScotland on Where to Next?, a social-first branded entertainment series for YouTube and short-form platforms, produced by Strong Watch Studios.

Max Fosh lists Buckingham Palace for rent in a new Channel 4 YouTube documentary, highlighting platform vulnerabilities and the broadcaster’s digital-first approach to short-form factual content.

Merry Christmas from all of us at The Drop.

Sam Barcroft discusses his return to the news industry as Group CEO of SWNS and explains why the old media and production models no longer work in a video-first world.

Objekt's Bart Frank outlines its 2026 digital-first predictions, from brands accelerating into entertainment and YouTube’s TV takeover to the rise of true crime, new broadcaster–studio partnerships and a major shift toward brand-building digital entertainment strategies.

Objekt's Bart Frank outlines its 2026 digital-first predictions, from brands accelerating into entertainment and YouTube’s TV takeover to the rise of true crime, new broadcaster–studio partnerships and a major shift toward brand-building digital entertainment strategies.

Engine Pop founder Athena Witter shares her 2026 predictions for the digital-first landscape, from the shift toward long-term IP value to platforms rewarding meaningful signals, the rise of intentional partnerships, connected-world formats and the growing importance of audience loyalty.

A forward look at the digital-first content landscape for 2026, featuring insights from MTV Entertainment Studios’ Cat Collins on audience co-creation, platform behaviour, branded partnerships and the formats set to break out next year.

A forward look at the digital-first content landscape for 2026, featuring insights from MTV Entertainment Studios’ Cat Collins on audience co-creation, platform behaviour, branded partnerships and the formats set to break out next year.

All through December we’re rolling out an exclusive series of Q&As with the sector’s leading thinkers as they peer into their digital crystal balls and offer their take on what the next 12 months could bring. Today we hear from Diane Glynn, Director of Social at Channel 4. What’s the single biggest shift you expect to see in digital-first production and publishing in 2026? The biggest shift will be one of mindset across the whole content business - Digital Publishers will stop being seen as a sidekick to legacy media and will take centre stage.