As part of the initiative, the company will launch MyLifetime.com, a platform featuring three original vertical films produced by Microhouse Films, alongside seven Lifetime titles adapted to the format.
A+E Global Media and Lifetime have announced an expansion of their microdrama and vertical video strategy, introducing new mobile-first originals and a slate of nearly 200 adapted titles available for licensing to third-party platforms. Timed to coincide with Mipcom, the initiative combines original production, the repurposing of established intellectual property and new commercial opportunities for advertisers.
As part of the initiative, the company will launch MyLifetime.com, a platform featuring three original vertical films produced by Microhouse Films, alongside seven Lifetime titles adapted to the format. The Lifetime mobile app will add new vertical content every two weeks, with plans to release up to seven original productions by the end of the year. The slate will include two sponsored holiday-themed verticals from vertTV.
“Microdramas are one of the most dynamic and exciting areas of growth in entertainment, and Lifetime is proud to be an early and meaningful participant in that evolution,” said Elaine Frontain Bryant, executive vice president and head of programming for A&E, Lifetime and LMN.
Bryant added that the strategy aims to integrate the format into the Lifetime ecosystem, strengthen audience engagement and provide new ways for viewers to experience familiar stories, combining original productions, library titles and brand-supported projects.
Original Productions and Library Titles in Vertical Format
The initial Microhouse Films slate for MyLifetime.com will include Tides of Temptation, Matched With a Murderer and His Lies Taste Like Love. Executive produced by Taye Diggs, Autumn Federici and Shelby Stone, Tides of Temptationwill serve as a standalone digital companion to the Lifetime original movie Terry McMillan Presents: Paradise with You, which is scheduled to premiere on November 7.
Upcoming Microhouse Films projects will also include Reunion Island, which will debut at the New York-based ALZA Festival, dedicated to microdramas and vertical storytelling, and Recklessly in Love with My Daughter’s Best Man.
The two sponsored holiday-themed originals from vertTV will be Casting Christmas and Destination, Christmas. The company was founded by Jeffrey Schenck, Barry Barnholtz, Peter Sullivan, Brian Nolan and Ben Rosenthal.
Lifetime original movies adapted into vertical chapters for the platform will include A Lifeguard’s Obsession, Burned by Love, Danger in the House, My Husband’s Worst Mistake, What Would You Kill For?, Secret of a Dean’s Wife and College Professor Obsession.
Nearly 200 Titles Available for Licensing
Alongside the platform launch, A+E Global Media has adapted nearly 200 titles from its library into microdrama formats for licensing to third-party platforms. The offering includes Lifetime movies and unscripted content from across the company’s brands, including Cold Case Files, I Survived, Alone, Ice Road Truckers, Forged in Fire, History’s Greatest Mysteries, Hoarders and Married at First Sight.
“By adapting 200 titles into premium microdrama formats, we are extending the reach and value of proven IP while creating new opportunities for mobile-first audiences, platforms and distribution partners,” said Brian Weiss, executive vice president of strategy at A+E Global Media.
The initiative also creates new opportunities for the advertising business. According to Toby Byrne, president of Media Solutions at A+E Global Media, vertical storytelling enables brands to connect with audiences in highly engaging mobile environments and participate in premium content that resonates with viewers.
With this move, A+E Global Media aims to combine library exploitation, original production and distribution models tailored to mobile viewing habits, as vertical storytelling continues to gain traction across the entertainment industry.
