Nearly a decade after digital publishing was disrupted by the mid-2010s video boom, the media industry finds itself navigating another sweeping transition toward video content. During the initial wave, newsrooms invested heavily in social video operations under the assumption that platforms like Facebook would provide sustainable audiences and advertising revenue. That movement quickly unraveled when it was discovered that Facebook had inflated its video viewership metrics. The aftermath left a trail of shuttered initiatives, laid-off print and digital journalists who had been replaced by video staff, and subsequent layoffs of the video teams themselves.
The Rise of Vertical Feeds and Creator Culture
Today, video has reasserted its dominance across digital channels, spurred primarily by the rapid growth of TikTok during the pandemic. Rather than a niche experiment, vertical video has reshaped content distribution across the web, forcing traditional publishers to catch up after years of hesitation rooted in past missteps. Research underscores the magnitude of this shift: according to Pew Research Center, 20 percent of American adults now regularly consume news on TikTok, a figure that jumps to 39 percent among individuals aged 18 to 29. Furthermore, Nielsen data reveals that YouTube has emerged as the most-watched streaming platform, capturing nearly 16 percent of total television viewing time.
The mechanics of modern video production have diverged sharply from the high-cost setups of a decade ago. With smartphones lowering equipment barriers, audiences increasingly gravitate toward casual, selfie-style dispatches from recognizable personalities rather than formal broadcast presentations. Social networks have followed suit by prioritizing vertical feeds across their ecosystems. Meta reported that time spent watching Reels on Facebook reached an all-time high in the third quarter, while international tests indicate the company is exploring opening Facebook and Instagram directly into full-screen video feeds. Even professional networks like LinkedIn have adopted short-form video feeds to keep pace with changing consumer habits.
Evolving Publisher Playbooks
To retain relevance among younger audiences, mainstream news organizations are adjusting both their distribution channels and their storytelling methods. The Washington Post was among the earliest legacy outlets to establish a foothold on TikTok under Dave Jorgenson, who departed the publication last year to produce independent projects under Local News International. Seeking to broaden their appeal, some outlets have established internal creator networks to partner with external influencers, while an initiative backed by Poynter and Microsoft is actively pairing social media creators with news organizations to craft digital-first journalism.
Other traditional brands are altering the tone of their coverage by borrowing established internet formats. CNN partnered with digital video collective Jubilee to host political debate-style formats, including a town hall featuring Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. Meanwhile, The New York Times launched an informal vertical video series called The Call, which features hosts conducting apparent video calls with reporters in the field to mimic the intimacy of peer-to-peer conversations. Across the industry, broader long-form assets—ranging from podcasts and investigative reporting to television programs—are being deconstructed into bite-sized talking-head segments and microdramas to survive within algorithmically curated feeds.
Measurement Flaws and the Monetization Dilemma
Despite heavy engagement, the economics supporting short-form video remain contentious. A central promise of the original video pivot was that raw engagement would eventually surpass the financial cost of production. Today, revenue generation remains complex. Platforms have largely adopted metrics that count an impression as a view as soon as a video appears in a feed, regardless of whether a viewer watched the segment or immediately scrolled past.
This counting methodology leaves newsrooms questioning whether high view counts translate into loyal audiences, dedicated podcast listeners, or paying website subscribers. While reaching prospective readers where they congregate remains necessary to maintain institutional trust, digital impressions alone do not provide a guaranteed financial return for resource-intensive newsrooms.
A Looming Shift Toward Long-Form and Television
Even as publications refine their short-form operations, platform priorities are shifting once again toward longer, higher-production assets intended for living room screens. Technology companies are increasingly competing for traditional television viewership by urging creators to develop long-form entertainment. YouTube recently pitched creators and commercial advertisers on developing platform-exclusive episodic series, while Instagram unveiled Features, a program accommodating horizontal video uploads of up to 90 minutes aimed directly at television displays.
Select broadcasters are already moving to align with this next phase. In early 2026, the BBC finalized an agreement with YouTube to create specialized programming alongside a continuous 24/7 YouTube livestream aimed at reaching younger audiences. These developments suggest that while short-form vertical video remains indispensable for the immediate future, publishers may soon face renewed pressure from technology platforms to produce costly, high-production horizontal programming to maintain digital visibility.
