> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.promptthemarket.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Samsung, Nine and Unilever back vertical microdramas - URL: https://www.promptthemarket.com/samsung-nine-and-unilever-back-vertical-microdramas/ - Published: 2026-09-21T05:30:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-21T05:29:59.000Z - Description: A microdrama is a serialised, mobile-first film built for vertical viewing on social platforms. Each episode runs one to three minutes, lands daily on Instagram Reels or TikTok, and ends on a hook designed to pull viewers back the next day. - Author: Editor News - Tags: Advertising, Media, #author-xaviery-malinao By **Xaviery Malinao** ยท 2026-09-20 TLDR Samsung, Nine Network, Unilever and TikTok all ran branded vertical microdrama series in Australia within six months of each other, shifting the format from one-off experiment to a repeatable media buy. Every performance figure currently available comes from vendors themselves, with no independent measurement standard in place. KEY TAKEAWAYS 01Samsung's three-part Galaxy S26 microdrama ran across social, BVOD, SVOD and Samsung TV Plus from March 2026. 02Nine Network's FLEX series drops daily one-to-two-minute vertical episodes on TikTok and Instagram alongside weekly cuts on 9Now. 03Vaseline's five-episode 'The Afterglow' reported view-through rates more than twice the industry benchmark, per vendor data. 04TikTok's Love Songs series for Tinder reached 20 million views and 140,000 followers, according to TikTok's own figures. 05No independent measurement standard covers microdramas; buyers should request completion rates and placement detail before spending. ## What the format actually is A microdrama is a serialised, mobile-first film built for vertical viewing on social platforms. Each episode runs one to three minutes, lands daily on Instagram Reels or TikTok, and ends on a hook designed to pull viewers back the next day. A branded playlist or a longer cut on a streaming or broadcast video-on-demand (BVOD) service sits behind the daily drops, turning a single ad placement into a recurring presence. The format originated in China, where audiences paid per episode, and has since attracted roughly 90 million regular viewers in North America. Australian adoption has now accelerated, with a broadcaster, a device maker, a fast-moving consumer goods brand and a platform all committing to the format inside the same six-month window. ## Who is running what Samsung Electronics Australia launched a three-part vertical microdrama called *The Elephant in the Room* in March 2026, shot entirely on Galaxy S26 devices and distributed across social, BVOD, subscription video-on-demand (SVOD), out-of-home and Samsung TV Plus.\[3\] The series showed device features including 100x zoom, Privacy Display and Nightography. A physical takeover of Sydney's Central Walk ran alongside it from 2 March to 23 May 2026, reaching a reported 4.4 million monthly visitors to that station.\[3\] Samsung Microdrama Official Trailer | The Elephant In The Room Nine Network's micro-reality series FLEX, produced by Ronde Media, began dropping daily one-to-two-minute vertical episodes on Instagram and TikTok from 24 April 2026, with 22-to-25-minute weekly full episodes on 9Now.\[4\] Nine committing production resources to daily vertical drops is a different proposition from a brand running a standalone campaign; it brings scheduling discipline and an existing audience relationship to a format that has previously relied on algorithm discovery. Unilever's Vaseline Body Oil brand ran a five-episode vertical series called *The Afterglow* ahead of the Australian summer. Yin-Hong Yeo, Marketing Manager at Unilever ANZ, said: "We created the new Vaseline Body Oil range to be the 'glow ritual' of Australian summer."\[6\] The series reported view-through rates more than twice the industry benchmark across its five episodes, a figure drawn from vendor-supplied data.\[5\] TikTok and agency Amplify formalised their Creator Content Series initiative in September 2026, putting a commercial structure around what had previously been ad-hoc brand experiments.\[2\] Named brand series include The TikTok Road Trip for Kia, Gatorade Games and Love Songs, made for Tinder. Amy Bradshaw, General Manager for Global Business Solutions at TikTok Australia and New Zealand, said: "TikTok has always been a place where new formats of storytelling emerge and audiences discover what they want to watch next. We're now seeing that evolve into short-form, episodic storytelling, where creators can build worlds, characters and narratives that audiences want to come back to again and again."\[2\] ## The numbers on the board, and why every figure here is vendor-supplied The Love Songs series for Tinder accumulated more than 20 million views, 2.8 million likes and 140,000 followers on TikTok, per figures provided by TikTok itself.\[1\] Samsung's Central Station takeover claimed 4.4 million monthly visitors. Vaseline claimed view-through rates more than double the benchmark. Every figure carries the same provenance: the company or platform that ran the campaign. No independent measurement body has established a standard for microdrama completion, reach or audience composition. That gap matters because the format's value proposition rests on completion rates, the share of viewers who watch an episode all the way through, rather than the gross impressions a standard cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) buy would count. A buyer pricing this format on CPM without requesting completion data is measuring the wrong thing. Media buyers committing budget to the format should request completion rates, audience demographics and placement detail from vendors before signing. TikTok and Amplify's September 2026 formalisation of the Creator Content Series gives that conversation a named commercial vehicle for the first time.\[2\] SOURCES & CITATIONS 1. [Love Songs creators page](https://www.lovesongsseries.com/creators?ref=promptthemarket.com) 2. [TikTok and Amplify Creator Content Series initiative, TikTok newsroom](https://newsroom.tiktok.com/tiktok-and-amplify-launch-new-creator-led-content-series-for-brands?lang=en-AU&ref=promptthemarket.com) 3. [Samsung Galaxy S26 Series launch, Samsung Australia newsroom](https://news.samsung.com/au/samsung-galaxy-s26-series-and-galaxy-buds4-series-now-available-in-australia-and-worldwide?ref=promptthemarket.com) 4. [Nine for Brands, FLEX micro-reality series press release](https://www.nineforbrands.com.au/media-release/9now-enters-its-flex-era-australias-first-micro-reality-obsession-has-arrived/?ref=promptthemarket.com) 5. [David Easton LinkedIn post on Vaseline Afterglow view-through rates](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/davideaston%5Fmicrodrama-audiences-in-australia-are-growing-activity-7452204033936756736-yCim?ref=promptthemarket.com) 6. [Vaseline Afterglow launch, Medianet](https://newshub.medianet.com.au/2026/02/vaseline-ignites-gold-coast-with-reality-star-studded-experience-the-afterglow-and-new-shimmer-body-oil-range/?ref=promptthemarket.com) FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What is a microdrama and how does it differ from a regular ad? A microdrama is a serialised, mobile-first short film built for vertical viewing, typically one to three minutes per episode. It drops daily on platforms like TikTok or Instagram Reels and is designed to bring viewers back for subsequent episodes, creating a recurring presence rather than a single impression. How can media buyers measure microdrama performance? No independent measurement standard currently exists for the format. Buyers should request completion rates, audience demographics and placement detail directly from vendors, and treat any vendor-supplied benchmarks with appropriate scepticism until third-party verification is available. Which Australian brands have run microdrama series in 2026? Samsung Electronics Australia, Nine Network (with the FLEX series), Unilever's Vaseline brand and TikTok's Creator Content Series partners, including Tinder (Love Songs), Kia (The TikTok Road Trip) and Gatorade, have all run branded microdrama series in Australia during 2026. [Xaviery Malinao](https://www.promptthemarket.com/xaviery-malinao/) Xaviery Malinao writes for Prompt the Market on how brands and agencies are adapting to answer engines, drawing on Bushnote's work with clients across search, AI search and content.