Vertical-First Storytelling Is Growing Up — And Chera TV Wants to Lead the Charge
Written by Alexandra Paszek
Courtesy of Chera TV.
Vertical video is cementing itself as one of the most disruptive forces in today’s digital entertainment. A new wave of companies is racing to define what professional, mobile-first vertical content should look like. Among the most closely watched is Chera TV, a creator-first vertical streaming platform slated to launch in early 2026.
Behind its momentum is Calvin Singh, Chief Operating Officer and one of the company’s founding partners, who believes the industry is at a pivotal turning point. “Verticals are really blowing up right now… they're the big disruptor in the entertainment ecosystem,” Singh says. “People really aren't happy with the way things are going. They feel that they're being taken advantage of. They feel like they're not getting fair wages. What we're trying to do is legitimize these productions. We want to make verticals the way traditional Hollywood productions are done.”
For Singh and the Chera TV team, legitimacy isn’t a buzzword — it’s a blueprint. The company is building its model on established entertainment union and studio norms: fair wages, proper fringes, workers’ compensation, business etiquette on set, and even intimacy coordinators for sensitive scenes.
This codified structure stands in stark contrast to the fast-and-loose reputation vertical content earned during its early TikTok and pandemic-era boom, when many productions were rushed, low-budget, and experimental.
Chera TV is already moving at studio speed. The company’s first vertical scripted series begins shooting soon in Vancouver, followed closely by two additional scripted productions starting in January in Los Angeles.
In a particularly notable step, Chera is also producing what Singh says will be the first vertical-format unscripted reality series — a genre whose format traditionally relies on widescreen visual language.
The goal isn’t volume for volume’s sake. Singh makes it clear that Chera is intentionally keeping its pipeline tight: “There's a lot of apps out there that are pumping out one hundred new series a year or more… and we just feel like that is oversaturating the market.”
One of Chera TV’s boldest features is its economic structure. The platform will offer profit participation for all above-the-line talent, including producers, directors, writers, and lead cast — a rarity in the vertical space.
“Once you bring in studio partners, that starts getting a little bit murky, but we do want to if the right opportunity came to us and our visions were aligned, we would definitely be open for those conversations,” Singh explains.
That stance is already resonating with the vertical creative community, which has long lacked standardized production protections or financial pathways comparable to film and television.
Despite the momentum, vertical storytelling still faces skepticism from traditional creators and audiences who associate cinematic quality with horizontal widescreen formats.
Singh isn’t surprised. He draws parallels to the early days of reality TV, once mocked and now a global powerhouse.
“I will say that people do kind of look down upon verticals currently, and it's kind of like that with any new medium. It felt like it was that was the same thing that was existed back when reality TV first started, and then those became the biggest thing,” he says. “And it feels like it's in that world right now where people just kind of shun it a little bit. But it's definitely making enough of an impact where everybody's attention is focused on it right now.”
For hesitant viewers, Singh encourages a simple trial run: “If you're sitting around and you're on your phone — and let's say you're at the airport or you're on your commute to work — click on them [vertical productions eventually to be visible on the Chera TV app] and check them out… They're on your phone— you can pause them and come back to them whenever you want. It's entertainment in your pocket.”
Singh points out that many existing vertical dramas rely on melodramatic or sometimes borderline offensive storytelling tropes that audiences are growing tired of. Chera intends to broaden that palette, developing more diverse and elevated narratives spanning additional genres — including future male-skewing content to balance its largely female-viewing market.
Chera’s roadmap is ambitious but focused. By year five, the company aims to consistently release 20–40 polished vertical projects annually, expand into new genres, and nurture a broader, more balanced viewer base.
“We are trying to put out quality projects,” Singh says. “And we want Chera TV to be the platform that proves quality belongs in this format [vertical].”
Vertical content is continuing its climb from social media novelty to mainstream storytelling, and industry eyes are watching which companies can elevate the form. Chera TV is betting not just on technological shifts, but on the belief that creators deserve a stable, equitable, cinematic home in the vertical world.
And if Chera TV’s efforts hold true, the next cultural breakout series might not be widescreen at all.
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