Kevin Hart and FOX strike deal to launch 25 new series. Praise Swint October 14, 2026 3 minutes read Kevin Hart's Hartbeat and Fox Entertainment Studios are teaming up to launch 25 live-action vertical series, expanding their presence in digital entertainment. The new slate will feature projects under Hartbeat's Codeblack, Essence and Revolt brands. The series will debut on My Drama, a platform dedicated to short-form, mobile-first storytelling. The partnership also gives Fox an opportunity to develop selected stories into films and television series. According to Vertical News Now, Fox Entertainment Studios and Hartbeat are building a strategy that allows digital stories to reach audiences before potentially expanding into longer formats. Kevin Hart and Fox plan 25 vertical series. The partnership will introduce 25 live-action vertical titles designed for mobile viewing. Vertical series typically use a portrait format that fits smartphone screens and delivers stories in short episodes. Hartbeat will bring its Codeblack, Essence and Revolt brands into the project. These brands give the slate a connection to entertainment, culture and audiences across different communities. The companies will release the titles on My Drama, which will feature a dedicated Codeblack-branded destination. This setup will help viewers discover the projects in one place. The deal also creates opportunities for the companies to explore which stories connect most strongly with audiences. Successful projects could potentially reach viewers through additional entertainment formats. Fox secures first-look rights for film and TV. One of the key details of the partnership is Fox's first-look rights to develop the vertical stories into films and television series. This arrangement gives Fox the opportunity to consider the stories for longer productions. However, first-look rights do not guarantee that every vertical series will become a film or television show. The strategy also gives the companies a way to evaluate audience interest before committing to larger productions. Viewer engagement with the initial releases could help inform future development decisions. For Hartbeat, the partnership creates another route for its stories and brands to reach audiences. For Fox, it offers a pipeline of short-form content that could provide material for future film and television projects. Fox Entertainment Global to distribute titles worldwide. Fox Entertainment Global will handle worldwide distribution of the vertical titles after their initial runs on My Drama. This distribution arrangement gives the projects an opportunity to reach audiences beyond their original platform. It also extends the partnership's potential reach across international markets. The companies are combining short-form storytelling with a broader development and distribution strategy. Rather than treating vertical series as standalone mobile entertainment, the deal creates a possible pathway from short episodes to longer productions. What the partnership means for digital entertainment. The collaboration reflects the growing interest in mobile-first entertainment and shorter storytelling formats. Vertical series offer audiences a way to watch scripted stories on their phones without relying on traditional television formats. The partnership also connects digital releases with established film and television development opportunities. By testing stories with audiences first, the companies can explore which concepts may have potential for expansion. With 25 live-action series planned, Hartbeat and Fox are establishing a substantial slate for the platform. The projects will launch on My Drama before Fox Entertainment Global handles their worldwide distribution following their initial platform runs. Whether individual titles eventually become films or television series will depend on future development decisions. Still, the partnership creates a new opportunity for Kevin Hart's entertainment company and Fox to explore stories across multiple formats. Wpseo_editor Praise Swint is a contributor at Revelence, covering stories across news, entertainment, and culture.

MIPCOM Cannes attendance dips as AI, creators and Vertical dramas reshape global entertainment market. October 14, 2026 CANNES, France - Attendance at MIPCOM Cannes was down this year, but the world's largest international television market is undergoing a transformation that organizers say reflects the dramatic changes sweeping through the global entertainment business. MIPCOM Cannes 2026 drew 10,100 delegates from 104 countries, down from approximately 10,600 attendees from 107 countries last year. The number of buyers also declined, to 3,150, down from 3,300 in 2025. But Lucy Smith, director of MIPCOM Cannes and head of the entertainment division at organizer RX France, maintains the numbers tell only part of the story. Speaking at MIPCOM's annual wrap-up press conference Oct. 14, Smith said the traditional television business is being reshaped by consolidation even as a new generation of streaming platforms, content creators, technology companies and brands is opening up opportunities for content production, distribution and monetization. "I think what we have all seen here this week is the global entertainment industry experiencing extraordinary disruption," Smith said. "Consolidation is reshaping the traditional entertainment landscape." At the same time, she said, creators, brands, technology companies and digital platforms are becoming increasingly important players in the global content economy. "Vertical storytelling, microdramas - they're challenging the established formats, while AI is changing how content is made," Smith said. Those developments were clearly evident throughout the four-day market, where artificial intelligence and vertical dramas emerged as two of the most talked-about subjects, alongside the continuing convergence of traditional television and streaming. Smith said attendance at the market's AI sessions was particularly strong. "All of our AI sessions and keynotes across the market were packed with standing room only," she said. One of the biggest draws was a keynote presentation by Cecilia Shen, co-founder and CEO of Utopai Studios, exploring the growing role of artificial intelligence in content creation. The market also featured an expanded program devoted to vertical storytelling and microdramas, short-form scripted programming designed primarily for viewing on smartphones. Among the announcements was a partnership between Fox Entertainment and Kevin Hart's Hartbeat to develop new vertical programming, with opportunities to expand successful properties into traditional film and television productions. But Smith stressed that the market's evolution is about more than bringing new technologies and business models into the conversation. "These are companies using MIPCOM to develop, finance, and produce content, not simply to discuss disruption," she said. Another recurring theme was the growing importance of YouTube as a distribution and revenue partner for traditional broadcasters. The Google-owned video platform returned to Cannes with a significantly expanded presence, including a keynote presentation with German broadcaster RTL that explored how broadcasters can use YouTube to expand their audiences, generate additional advertising revenue and strengthen their existing businesses. "YouTube already has global reach," Smith said. "MIPCOM gives it access to international entertainment partners and decision makers who can turn that reach into commercial opportunity." The growing importance of ad-supported streaming was also evident in new content deals, including BBC Studios' expanded partnership with Samsung TV Plus to launch four FAST channels in European markets. Smith pointed to the increasing participation of the creator economy as another sign of the market's transformation. For the first time, MIPCOM opened with a creator-focused headliner, Dhar Mann, whose digital-first production company has expanded into television and streaming through partnerships with established entertainment companies, including Samsung TV Plus. Fox Entertainment also used the market to spotlight its Creator Studios strategy, which aims to develop creator-led intellectual property for international audiences. Meanwhile, the newly launched MIP BrandWorks initiative brought advertising agencies, brands and entertainment companies together to explore new ways of financing and developing programming. Advertising giant Dentsu served as the initiative's first headline partner, with Meta also participating in the program. Smith said the objective is to connect companies that historically operated in different parts of the entertainment business and encourage them to develop new commercial relationships. "We are not bringing new communities to Cannes simply to sit alongside the traditional market," she said. "We're bringing them here to create new business opportunities for the core industry." Traditional studios, broadcasters and distributors nevertheless remained central to the market. Among the highlights was the first joint keynote appearance by Banijay Entertainment chairman Jeff Zucker and CEO Marco Bassetti following the company's merger with All3Media, creating the world's largest independent television production company. Other major participants included BBC Studios, ITV Studios, Fremantle, Globo, Fox Entertainment and numerous international broadcasters, streamers and distributors. Smith acknowledged that consolidation is changing the makeup of the traditional content business, but argued that comparing today's MIPCOM with the event of a decade ago misses the larger point. "I know the tendency is to compare MIPCOM with the market of five or 10 years ago," she said. "I think that we can all agree that is not the industry that we're serving today." The changes are also evident in MIPCOM's sister events. MIPJUNIOR, held immediately before the main market, attracted about 600 participants, including 165 buyers, down from 700 attendees and 190 buyers last year. Smith also discussed plans for MIP Talks, a new two-day conference scheduled for March 2027 alongside the London Book Fair. The event, replacing MIP London, will explore the relationship between intellectual property, fandom and global entertainment businesses. Next year's MIPCOM Cannes is scheduled for Oct. 18-21, 2027. Smith said organizers will continue emphasizing the market's traditional role in international content sales and distribution while expanding opportunities involving technology, creators, brands and alternative business models. "Our ambition is not to recreate the MIPCOM of 10 or 15 years ago," she said. "It is to make sure that MIPCOM continues to reflect the global industry as it is today and where it is going next." * Banijay Entertainment Execs to Headline Keynote Conversation at MIPCOM Cannes The two top Banijay Entertainment executives will headline a keynote conversation at MIPCOM Cannes on Oct. 12. Chairman Jeff Zucker and CEO Marco Bassetti will be together on stage for the first time since the $8.5 billion merger between Banijay... * Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish to Be Honored as MIPCOM Cannes 'Personality of the Year' MIPCOM Cannes Aug. 21 announced that Bob Bakish, CEO of Paramount Global, will be honored on Oct. 17 with the international entertainment trade show's "Personality of the Year" award. The 39th edition of MIPCOM Cannes takes place in the Grand... * Merzigo and YouTube to Host MIPCOM Cannes Opening Night Party MIPCOM Cannes, taking place Oct. 12-15, has announced the return of Merzigo, the global media technology company for content distribution and monetization, as the headline partner of the MIPCOM Cannes opening night party. Co-hosted in partnership with YouTube and with... * MIPCOM Cannes Expands Microdrama and Vertical Storytelling Program Organizers of MIPCOM Cannes have released additional details about the event's expanded microdrama and vertical storytelling program, which will bring together creators, platforms, producers and investors exploring the fast-growing, mobile-first format. The international content market is scheduled for Oct. 12-15...