Taiwan-based streamer Catchplay and its production outfit Screenworks Asia are making a big push into vertical drama through partnerships with several Korean players. 

Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, Catchplay is launching an exclusive branded zone spanning Taiwan, Indonesia and Singapore with the newly launched Korean vertical content platform, Sero, alongside licensing deals with CJ ENM and b.able to deliver hundreds of hours of vertical K-drama content. 

In addition, Screenworks Asia has partnered with Korea’s SLL Joongang to co-develop a slate of premium, Mandarin-language vertical series.

In a statement, Catchplay said it’s intentionally differentiating its vertical content slate – both acquired and originally produced – from standard microdramas: “Vertical storytelling is rapidly evolving,” explained Catchplay Group CEO, Daphne Yang.  

“We see strong potential in premium vertical content and are thrilled that many of our partners, especially our allies at SLL, share this vision. Together, we hope to offer a lighter, sharper and faster-paced alternative to traditional long-form dramas while delivering a significantly higher standard of storytelling than typical microdramas.”

SLL’s CEO, Joonsuh Park, added: “We are delighted that we could be part of a market with high growth potential. By partnering with Catchplay, Screenworks Asia and leading Taiwanese creatives, we aim to explore new storytelling possibilities that can resonate with younger, mobile-first viewers while maintaining high production values and strong IP scalability.”

In a departure from the existing vertical drama market – which is largely driven by fast-consumption storytelling – the collaboration aims to position vertical drama as a premium narrative format with long-term IP potential across Asian and global Chinese-language markets.

Under the partnership, creative teams from Taiwan and Korea will jointly develop a slate of urban fantasy vertical dramas, combining Taiwan’s strengths in emotional storytelling with Korea’s expertise in genre pacing, visual aesthetics and commercial production. 

Acclaimed Taiwanese screenwriter Shih-Yuan Lu (Dear Ex) is attached as script consultant, while Yang, Screenworks Asia General Manager Shao-Yi Chen and DaMou Entertainment CEO Jayde Lin will serve as co-executive producers, alongside SLL producers and creative executives from Korea. 

SLL will also collaborate on casting and creative direction, including the potential participation of Korean actors across selected titles.

Catchplay has also announced new distribution partnerships with Taiwanese pay-TV and broadband operators, Home+ and TBC. In addition, the company has formed a regional partnership with Xperi that will bring its Catchplay+ streaming service into the automotive space across Taiwan, Indonesia and Singapore, integrating with high-end car models via the DTS AutoStage entertainment platform.