Updated
Updated · Marketplace · Aug 24
Knockout Shorts Opens 5 Standing Sets for 1-Minute Microdramas at Hollywood Studio
Updated
Updated · Marketplace · Aug 24

Knockout Shorts Opens 5 Standing Sets for 1-Minute Microdramas at Hollywood Studio

3 articles · Updated · Marketplace · Aug 24

Summary

  • Knockout Shorts has opened five permanent standing sets at Sunset Las Palmas in Los Angeles, giving its vertical-video studio a plug-and-play base to speed production of phone-first microdramas.
  • Each series runs 50 to 100 episodes, with episodes lasting one to two minutes; the company has produced 10 shows in roughly a year and wants to ramp up output.
  • Omdia data underpins that bet: U.S. cellphone users spent more time on vertical video last year than on Netflix, Disney+ or Prime Video on mobile devices.
  • Knockout says its model differs from Quibi, which collapsed in under seven months after raising nearly $2 billion, by making much shorter episodes and keeping production costs lower.
  • Revenue still hinges on distribution partners such as DramaBox and Shorticle, though founders say TikTok's free, ad-supported approach could reshape how U.S. viewers watch and pay for microdramas.

Insights

With billions already lost on short-form video, what secret formula makes Hollywood think microdramas will succeed where Quibi failed?
As AI threatens to automate content creation, can permanent Hollywood sets truly protect human-made microdramas from becoming obsolete?