Netflix goes vertical: More phone-first shows coming in 2026

More vertical video features are coming Netflix. Co-CEO Greg Peters revealed plans to expand the streaming device’s mobile vertical video feed during Earnings call Tuesday.

Testing is already underway to expand the mobile experience, which currently features vertical clips from Netflix’s TV shows and movies. New vertical video content, including excerpts from audio video files, will be available on Netflix this year.

“You can imagine us bringing in more clips based on new content types, like audio video, which Ted (Sarandos, Netflix co-CEO) mentioned we were adding to the overall service,” Peters said. “We’ll bring the right type of components for that to the vertical video feed.”

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Netflix’s move to expand its vertical video offerings comes after Sarandos admitted during an earnings call that social media apps like Instagram are now viewed as competition.

“TV is not what we grew up on. TV now is pretty much everything,” Sarandos said. “The Oscars and NFL are on YouTube. The networks are simulcasting the Super Bowl on linear TV and streaming. Amazon owns MGM, Apple is competing for the Emmys and Oscars, and Instagram is next.”

Competing with the likes of Instagram and TikTok means evolving the content the platform offers. If he wants to attract Gen Z viewers, he will turn to bite-sized vertical clips for live shows such as WWE Raw,competition series Star search And important moments from Netflix hits such as Strange things and Demon hunters in kpop A good place to start.

“Vertical” is the hot buzzword in Hollywood right now. New production studios are dedicated to mobile-first content, and with the massive popularity of Small vertical drama — any diverse It’s called a “billion-dollar global phenomenon” — and more streamers are likely to follow suit in the near future.

Peters also revealed Netflix’s plan to overhaul its mobile interface “to better serve the expansion of our business over the next decade.”

“We’ll be rolling this out later in 2026, and just like our TV UI, it then becomes a starting point, it becomes a platform for us to continue to iterate, test, develop and improve our offering,” he said.