Hey streamers 👋
A Reel sends you to a podcast. A clip sends you to a series. But what happens when the platform wants you to watch the whole thing without leaving?
Instagram’s latest test got me thinking about that. This week’s five-minute roundup also looks at broadcasters finding new audiences, Maraya’s AI assistant and Fear Factor becoming something quite different.
Enjoy the read!
📺 SOCIAL VIDEO: Instagram is testing horizontal videos up to 90 minutes long, with Reels linking viewers to longer programmes. The test is expanding to selected US creators after Brazil. Discovery is already part of Instagram’s appeal. Keeping people for the full episode is the next step. More in The Lab’s Pick.
📈 BUSINESS: TF1+ advertising revenue grew 20.5% in Q3, helped by its Netflix partnership. This gives us something useful beyond viewing figures: evidence that wider distribution can contribute to revenue. More in my Analysis section.
😱 VERTICAL TV: Fear Factor is becoming a scripted horror series for My Drama. FOX Entertainment Studios and Endemol Shine North America are producing 30 three-minute episodes. A familiar franchise, a new genre and a different screen. More in my Analysis section.
🤖 CONTENT DISCOVERY: White Peaks Solutions is showcasing conversational discovery on Maraya. Its AI agent lets viewers ask questions about available content, drawing answers from information supplied by the platform. I’d like to see whether it helps someone find a programme and press play faster.
🇦🇪 CREATORS: Innovation City and TikTok LIVE have opened a creators’ studio in Ras Al Khaimah. Shared production facilities could help creators make more regular live shows. The interesting follow-up will be what they keep producing once the opening-day excitement settles.
⚽ SPORTS: The Saudi Pro League’s Footballco partnership, announced on 22 October, combines selected live matches with GOAL’s Front Three creators. Coverage reaches specified international markets, with Yalla GOAL supporting the build-up. Familiar presenters can give new fans a reason to care about unfamiliar teams.
🎬 AI PRODUCTION: Castle Walls, produced by Ay Yapım’s AI Yapım, brought AI-generated production to Prime Video. Human writers, performances and dubbing remain part of the production. Getting onto a major platform is one milestone; making people want the next episode is another.
🤝 DISTRIBUTION: Channel 4 is joining Disney+ in the UK and Ireland from early 2027. The agreement includes its main linear channel, on-demand programmes and selected shows arriving alongside their Channel 4 release. Broadcasters are giving viewers more places to find their programmes—including inside someone else’s subscription.
Ipsos is preparing the Q4 2026 wave of its MENA Streaming Tracker, bringing you exclusive insights directly from audiences in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
What makes viewers choose a streaming platform? Which content is worth paying for? And what makes them cancel?
The tracker explores the choices behind the viewing figures, helping streaming companies understand what audiences want, and track how their habits evolve.
What insights will you get?
Audiences & platforms: Who watches what, where and on which devices, and which platforms they use most often.
Content: The genres, content origins and sports people watch, what they would pay for, and whether vertical series are finding an audience.
Subscriptions & bundles: What drives sign-ups, how people access services and which partnerships appeal to them.
Product & brands: What viewers value in the experience and which platforms they associate with those strengths.
Spending & advertising: Subscription budgets, cancellations, ad-supported plan preferences and acceptable ad formats.
Discovery: How advertising, creators, recommendations and word of mouth help people find platforms and programmes.
Interested in the MENA Streaming Tracker? Get in touch for the full scope, questionnaire and pricing for one, two or all three markets 👇
Instagram Wants the Full Episode
What happened?
Instagram is testing “Features”: horizontal videos lasting up to 90 minutes. Selected US creators are getting access after earlier tests in Brazil.
Key details:
The format supports longer programmes such as interviews, podcasts and vlogs.
A separate test lets creators link up to eight Reels to a longer video.
These are limited tests, with no confirmed MENA rollout.
Why it matters?
🎯 What caught my attention is the connection between the short clip and the full programme. If someone enjoys a podcast exchange, they can continue watching in the same app. For producers, that could make discovery easier. But before investing in another version of a show, I’d want to understand how it earns money and whether viewers actually stay. A longer upload limit gives you room to publish. It doesn’t give you an audience willing to watch.
What TF1 Gets From Being Inside Netflix
👉 TF1’s results, published on 29 October, showed 20.5% growth in TF1+ advertising revenue in the third quarter. The company says its Netflix partnership contributed to that acceleration.
📍 This matters because distribution announcements usually promise reach. Here, we have a commercial result to examine. The wider picture is tougher: TF1’s advertising revenue across the first nine months fell 8.9%, despite TF1+’s growth.
💡 I’d judge these partnerships by what they add to the business: new viewers, additional viewing and revenue the broadcaster keeps. TF1’s results give us a reason to keep watching. They also show why a successful streaming partnership can help without solving every problem in the linear business.
Fear Factor Finds a New Way to Scare You
👉 FOX Entertainment Studios and Endemol Shine North America are developing an original scripted horror series inspired by Fear Factor. It will debut on Holywater Tech’s My Drama platform, with 30 episodes of three minutes each.
📍 The story follows a crew preparing a horror production when a haunted fortune-telling machine forces them into deadly trials. It keeps the franchise’s association with fear while creating new characters and a fictional story. A release date hasn’t been announced.
💡 This is an interesting exercise for anyone managing a catalogue. What do people remember about your biggest programmes? A character, a setting, a feeling? Those strengths could support a new format. The work is understanding what deserves to carry over, and giving viewers a reason to follow the new version.
I’ll be moderating “The Streaming Dilemma: Growth, Profitability and Survival” panel at the ASBU BroadcastPro ME Summit on Thursday, 5 November, at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina.
Explore the agenda and registration details.
Castle Walls - Prime Video
For a closer look at AI-produced storytelling, this Turkish historical drama follows Hasan Sabbah’s arrival at Alamut Castle. It has two short episodes and was released on 12 August 2026. A relevant watch alongside this week’s AI discussion.
Westworld (1973)
Before the HBO series, Michael Crichton’s film imagined a theme park where lifelike androids turn on the guests. Machines providing entertainment, followed by a few unexpected consequences. Still a useful starting point for a conversation about technology and storytelling.
🧪 Fresh from The Lab:
Thanks for reading, and have a great week!
🔝 Have you tried NETFLIX in MENA? The dashboard is open to everyone for now. Explore the TV rankings and let me know what you find.
