New TV production and distribution company RoseBerry Media has launched Epis, a global mobile streaming service that aims to bridge the gap between traditional TV and streaming and the growing business of mobile mini-dramas and vertical video.
Epis (short for “Episodes”) bills itself as the world’s first premium vertical streaming service. It will launch with more than 100 titles in different formats, from reality TV and true crime to drama.
The portfolio includes vertical assets including: Mariamman; Conman and billionaire killera true crime format from Israel’s Silvio Productions, known for Shadow of the truth format on Netflix; And the comedy-drama series Revenge is a dish From Lime Pictures, the British company famous for its successful series Hollyoaks and The only way is Essex.
The Epis platform will also feature several TV formats adapted for vertical viewing on mobile, including the BBC 3/Netflix dating format Erotic monstersproduced by All3Media’s Lion Television, in which contestants don brutal makeup before pairing off in an attempt to find romance in an attempt to find romance; You can’t kill me, Adapted from Fremantle’s Channel 4 true crime series Fall: Murder by skydiving (2024); and House in flamesa vertical adaptation of the thriller produced by Channel 5 in Fremantle heat (2023), starring Danny Dyer.
RoseBerry said it plans more than 25 original vertical productions this year.
RoseBerry co-founder and CEO Jay Hamery said Episode was founded on a “simple belief” that vertical, mobile-first entertainment can be premium entertainment. “Audiences have changed the way they consume content, but they haven’t stopped wanting great stories,” he said. “With Episodes, we combine world-class creative talent, proven TV intellectual property, original production and advanced technology to create a mobile-first, curated service for audiences who want stories worth watching, whether they’re five minutes or fifty.”
Epis is keen to differentiate itself from Microdrama apps such as ReelShort, DramaBox or FreeFlow with its focus on premium ‘TV quality’ productions and formats. RoseBerry has signed deals with several traditional TV players, including Fremantle, Banijay, All3Media, A+E Global Media and Cineflix Right to repurpose selected shows from their libraries for premium vertical services.
While Epis will operate as a standalone service, RoseBerry is also positioning the app as a test site, a place where producers can experiment with vertical formats, edits, and real-time monetization models, with an eye toward licensing their vertical video feeds on other premium sites, like Netflix Clips or Disney+ Verts.
“It gives us and our partners DTC [direct to consumer] A destination, a testing ground for data analysis and a source of audience intelligence, while supporting a broader studio model designed to help the industry create, understand and monetize premium vertical TV across multiple distribution windows.
At the same time as Epis’ launch, RoseBerry appointed Gidon Katz, the veteran TV executive behind the launch of streaming platforms Peacock and Now TV, to its advisory board.
