Network Verticals Targets the $14 Billion Vertical Video Market for Hospitality Brands

A $14 Billion Market — and Most Hotels Are Still Shooting Horizontal

Here's the reality check nobody in hospitality wants to hear: while legacy studios and streaming giants are pouring billions into vertical-first storytelling, most hotel social feeds are still recycling landscape YouTube clips cropped awkwardly into a phone screen. Network Media Group just doubled down on the format with a brand-new division — and the revenue projections should make every hotel marketer uncomfortable about what they're not producing.

Studios Are Building Entire Pipelines Around 9:16

Network Entertainment launched Network Verticals, a standalone division dedicated entirely to premium vertical video content. We're not talking about quick TikTok dances. The format they're chasing is serialized storytelling — 50 to 100 bite-sized episodes, each running 60 to 90 seconds, shot natively in 9:16 for smartphone viewing. What started with scripted dramas is now expanding into true crime, comedy, music, horror, and sports.

Derik Murray, Network's Founder and CEO, called verticals "one of the most significant shifts" in how audiences discover and consume content. His COO, Paul Gertz, pointed to "exponential" growth in subscription and transactional revenue, with advertising and franchise models still emerging. The numbers back the hype: research firm Omdia estimates the global vertical content market hit $11 billion in revenue in 2025 and is tracking toward $14 billion by end of 2026. Variety projects the sector could reach $26 billion by 2030.

This isn't a fringe experiment anymore. Fox Entertainment acquired an equity stake in Holywater — creator of the free vertical drama app My Drama — and committed to produce over 200 shows. Disney+ dropped a dedicated "Verts" feed inside its app. Netflix, Peacock, YouTube, Amazon, and TikTok are all investing in vertical storytelling as both a standalone category and an engagement hook. Network's VP of Studios, Eric MacDonald, noted the company's experience goes back to producing content for Quibi, the short-lived mobile platform that, for all its failure, was arguably ahead of its time.

Why This Should Change Your Content Calendar Tomorrow

Stop treating vertical video as a cropped afterthought. The studios aren't — they're building native 9:16 productions with budgets, talent pipelines, and distribution deals. The consumer expectation for vertical-first content is being shaped right now by billion-dollar players, and your Instagram Reels and TikToks are competing in that same scroll.

For hotels and hospitality brands, the takeaway is blunt: the format that drives discovery is vertical, short, and serialized. A single property tour Reel won't cut it when audiences are binge-watching 100-episode vertical dramas on their commute. Think episodic. Think "What does a guest experience across five check-in moments?" as a content arc — not a highlight reel. Think 9:16 from storyboard to final cut, not as a crop from your 16:9 drone footage.

The monetization angle matters too. As Gertz flagged, subscription and transactional models are already scaling, and advertising overlays are next. Hotels that build vertical audiences now — with authentic, destination-specific storytelling — are positioning themselves on a platform where ad dollars are migrating fast.

Don't Wait for the Platform to Force Your Hand

The vertical shift isn't coming. The $14 billion figure for 2026 isn't a forecast — it's months away. Disney+ didn't add a "Verts" tab because vertical is a trend. They added it because that's where eyeballs live between scrolling sessions.

Audit your current pipeline. If your production process still starts with a horizontal frame and "we'll crop it later," you're already behind the studios, the streamers, and — let's be honest — the 22-year-old travel creator shooting cinematic hotel content on a phone with zero budget and ten times your engagement.

The algorithm doesn't care about your brand guidelines. It cares about what stops the scroll.