Cineverse and Lloyd Braun's Banyan Ventures Form JV to Launch MicroCo, a New Studio and Platform for Microseries - a Market Projected to Reach $10B by 2027
Cineverse (NASDAQ: CNVS) and Banyan Ventures have formed a 50/50 joint venture called MicroCo, a pioneering studio and AI-native platform focused on Microseries content. The venture aims to tap into a market projected to reach $10B by 2027 outside of China.
The company has assembled an elite leadership team, including Jana Winograde as CEO and Susan Rovner as Chief Content Officer. MicroCo will produce short-form, mobile-first content running 1-3 minutes per episode, leveraging Cineverse's Matchpoint™ technology and extensive content library of 71,000+ assets.
The platform will utilize AI technology for creator enablement, intelligent discovery, and revenue diversification, targeting multiple genres from romance to horror. The venture builds on the success of the microdramas market, which has already reached $7B+ in China.
Cineverse (NASDAQ: CNVS) e Banyan Ventures hanno costituito una joint venture al 50/50 chiamata MicroCo, uno studio innovativo e una piattaforma nativa AI focalizzata sui contenuti in formato Microseries. L'iniziativa punta a sfruttare un mercato stimato raggiungere 10 miliardi di dollari entro il 2027 al di fuori della Cina.
La società ha messo insieme un team dirigenziale di alto profilo, con Jana Winograde nel ruolo di CEO e Susan Rovner come Chief Content Officer. MicroCo produrrà contenuti brevi, pensati per il mobile, di 1-3 minuti per episodio, sfruttando la tecnologia Matchpoint™ di Cineverse e il suo vasto catalogo di oltre 71.000 asset.
La piattaforma impiegherà l'AI per supportare i creatori, migliorare la scoperta intelligente dei contenuti e diversificare le entrate, coprendo generi che vanno dal romance all'horror. L'operazione si basa sul successo del mercato dei microdrama, che in Cina ha già superato i 7 miliardi di dollari.
Cineverse (NASDAQ: CNVS) y Banyan Ventures han creado una empresa conjunta 50/50 denominada MicroCo, un estudio pionero y una plataforma nativa de IA centrada en contenidos de microseries. El proyecto pretende aprovechar un mercado que se estima alcanzará los 10.000 millones de dólares para 2027 fuera de China.
La compañía ha reunido un equipo directivo de primer nivel, con Jana Winograde como CEO y Susan Rovner como Chief Content Officer. MicroCo producirá contenidos de formato corto, diseñados para móvil, de 1-3 minutos por episodio, aprovechando la tecnología Matchpoint™ de Cineverse y su extenso catálogo de más de 71.000 activos.
La plataforma empleará tecnología de IA para capacitar a los creadores, mejorar el descubrimiento inteligente y diversificar los ingresos, abarcando géneros desde el romance hasta el terror. La iniciativa se apoya en el éxito del mercado de microdramas, que en China ya supera los 7.000 millones de dólares.
Cineverse (NASDAQ: CNVS)와 Banyan Ventures가 지분 50/50의 합작법인 MicroCo를 설립했습니다. MicroCo는 마이크로시리즈(Microseries) 콘텐츠에 특화된 AI 네이티브 스튜디오이자 플랫폼으로, 중국 외 지역에서 2027년까지 100억 달러 규모
회사는 Jana Winograde를 CEO로, Susan Rovner를 최고 콘텐츠 책임자로 한 엘리트 경영진을 구성했습니다. MicroCo는 모바일 우선의 짧은 형식 콘텐츠를 에피소드당 1~3분 길이로 제작하며, Cineverse의 Matchpoint™ 기술과 71,000개 이상의 자산으로 구성된 콘텐츠 라이브러리를 활용합니다.
이 플랫폼은 크리에이터 지원, 지능형 콘텐츠 검색, 수익 다각화를 위해 AI 기술을 활용하며 로맨스부터 호러까지 다양한 장르를 타깃으로 합니다. 이 벤처는 이미 중국에서 70억 달러 이상에 달하는 마이크로드라마 시장의 성공을 기반으로 합니다.
Cineverse (NASDAQ: CNVS) et Banyan Ventures ont créé une coentreprise 50/50 appelée MicroCo, un studio innovant et une plateforme native IA dédiée aux micro-séries. L'objectif est de capter un marché estimé à 10 milliards de dollars d'ici 2027 hors de Chine.
L'entreprise s'est entourée d'une équipe dirigeante de haut niveau, avec Jana Winograde en tant que PDG et Susan Rovner comme directrice du contenu. MicroCo produira des formats courts, pensés pour le mobile, d'une durée de 1 à 3 minutes par épisode, en s'appuyant sur la technologie Matchpoint™ de Cineverse et son catalogue de plus de 71 000 actifs.
La plateforme utilisera l'IA pour soutenir les créateurs, optimiser la découverte intelligente et diversifier les revenus, couvrant des genres allant de la romance à l'horreur. Le projet s'appuie sur le succès du marché des microdramas, qui a déjà atteint plus de 7 milliards de dollars en Chine.
Cineverse (NASDAQ: CNVS) und Banyan Ventures haben ein 50/50 Joint Venture namens MicroCo gegründet – ein wegweisendes Studio und eine KI-native Plattform, die sich auf Microseries-Inhalte konzentriert. Ziel ist es, einen Markt zu erschließen, der außerhalb Chinas bis 2027 voraussichtlich 10 Mrd. USD erreichen wird.
Das Unternehmen hat ein erstklassiges Führungsteam zusammengestellt, darunter Jana Winograde als CEO und Susan Rovner als Chief Content Officer. MicroCo wird mobile-first Kurzformate mit einer Länge von 1–3 Minuten pro Episode produzieren und dabei Cineverses Matchpoint™-Technologie sowie das umfangreiche Inhaltsarchiv mit über 71.000 Assets nutzen.
Die Plattform setzt KI ein, um Creator zu unterstützen, intelligente Entdeckung zu ermöglichen und die Erlösquellen zu diversifizieren; das Angebot reicht von Romance bis Horror. Das Vorhaben baut auf dem Erfolg des Marktes für Microdramen auf, der in China bereits über 7 Mrd. USD erreicht hat.
- Strategic partnership between established entertainment leaders Cineverse and Banyan Ventures
- Targeting rapidly growing $10B market opportunity by 2027
- Elite leadership team assembled from major networks including Showtime, NBCUniversal, and ABC
- Access to Cineverse's extensive 71,000+ asset library and 150M+ fan base
- Built-in technological advantage with Matchpoint™ AI-powered infrastructure
- Multiple revenue streams through advertising, in-app transactions, and premium options
- Entering highly competitive market with established international players
- Platform name and launch date not yet announced
- Significant investment required in content production and technology development
- Unproven market demand for premium short-form content in US market
Insights
Cineverse's 50/50 JV with Banyan creates first premium US microseries studio targeting $10B market opportunity with elite leadership team.
Cineverse's strategic joint venture with Lloyd Braun's Banyan Ventures represents a calculated move to capture first-mover advantage in the untapped U.S. microseries market. The 50/50 partnership, branded as MicroCo, aims to capitalize on a format that has already generated
The venture's competitive positioning hinges on three key differentiators: elite leadership, technical infrastructure, and content expertise. The executive team assemblage is particularly notable, recruiting Jana Winograde (former Showtime President) as CEO and Susan Rovner (former NBCUniversal Television Chairman) as Chief Content Officer – both executives with proven track records developing hit programming and streaming strategies.
MicroCo's technological foundation leverages Cineverse's existing Matchpoint™ streaming infrastructure and AI capabilities, developed by a 100+ person engineering team in India. This provides immediate technical scalability without starting from scratch. The venture will also benefit from Cineverse's existing audience reach across multiple genres (150M+ fans) and content library (71,000+ assets).
The microseries format (1-3 minute episodes designed for mobile consumption) represents a strategic pivot toward evolving viewing habits. While the press release lacks specific revenue projections or investment figures, the venture's exploration of "varied revenue models" suggests a multi-pronged monetization strategy including advertising, in-app transactions, and premium options.
This venture aligns with industry trends toward shorter-form, mobile-optimized content while potentially creating new intellectual property that could be monetized across multiple platforms. The leadership caliber and existing technical infrastructure significantly reduce execution risk compared to a startup entering this space.
Former Showtime President Jana Winograde Named Co-founder and CEO
Former Chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming Susan Rovner to Join in October as Chief Content Officer
MicroCo to Leverage Team's & Cineverse's Unmatched Hollywood Expertise + Advanced Streaming and AI Tech Development to Create the Defining Microseries Experience
A Studio for Quality Content, a Home for Creators to Explore Narrative Storytelling, and Community Building Tools for Active Fan Engagement
Commonly known as "Microdramas", this vertical format has exploded internationally, becoming a
MicroCo sets itself apart with a leadership team that combines world-class storytelling expertise with cutting-edge, proprietary technology that together will target the untapped potential of a market that has been projected to reach
In addition to producing original Microseries, MicroCo will collaborate with today's most compelling content creators to support them in expanding their creative footprint, giving them new ways to tell stories and deepen connections with their audiences.
"The average person scrolls through hundreds of feet of content a day, but almost none of it is built to last," said Braun. "We're merging the storytelling rigor of series television with the pace, energy, and intimacy of short-form—creating addictive, emotionally rich, quality series that are developed specifically for this format and speak directly to how people consume content now."
Said Cineverse Chairman and CEO Chris McGurk, "MicroCo will combine a new style of storytelling that engages fans and creators alike, with state-of-the-art technology that we have spent years developing, and an elite leadership team that includes some of our generation's most successful media and content executives. The end result will be a category defining studio and platform. Early results in the space have underscored the massive strategic upside of this new format, including the opportunity to build an original IP engine with global monetization opportunities, to integrate brand partnerships, and support a robust creator economy flywheel."
MicroCo is led by a uniquely accomplished team of media executives and innovators:
- Lloyd Braun, Chairman of the Board for MicroCo: Co-Founder and Partner (with Sarah Bremner & Noah Oppenheim) of independent production studio Prologue Entertainment (backed by Jeff Zucker and Redbird Capital). Former Chairman of ABC Entertainment, Chairman of WME and President of Brillstein-Grey. A visionary strategist with deep experience in both creative and operational leadership, Braun is behind some of the most iconic and successful series in television, including The Sopranos, Lost, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!
- Chris McGurk, Chairman and CEO of Cineverse: A respected studio executive and entrepreneur with decades of leadership experience, McGurk has served as President and COO of Universal Pictures, CFO and President of The Walt Disney Motion Picture Group, Vice Chairman and COO of MGM, and Founder and CEO of Overture Films. At Cineverse, he has spearheaded a transformation into a next-generation entertainment and technology powerhouse.
- Erick Opeka, President and Chief Strategy Officer of Cineverse: A pioneer in streaming and digital entertainment, Opeka has launched more than two dozen streaming channels, overseen a robust indie studio business that released the most successful unrated film of all time, Terrifier 3, less than a year ago, and has been integral in the development of Cineverse's award-winning Matchpoint™ streaming infrastructure and AI initiatives. He brings unmatched insight into audience behavior, content discovery, and monetization across emerging formats.
- Jana Winograde, CEO of MicroCo: Former President of Entertainment for Showtime Networks, where she greenlit and launched the network's most successful streaming series including the zeitgeist hit Yellowjackets. Previously Head of Business Operations for ABC's Network and Studio, Winograde has built her career at the intersection of creative excellence and strategic execution. Her hybrid expertise across content, strategy, and operations uniquely positions her to lead MicroCo as a premium, scalable platform and studio for the mobile era.
- Susan Rovner, Chief Creative Officer of MicroCo: A veteran studio and network executive with one of the most decorated résumés in television, Rovner served as Chairman of Entertainment Content for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, and as President of Warner Bros. Television. She has overseen more than 18 series that reached the 100-episode milestone, including Shameless, Gossip Girl,
Riverdale , The Flash, Supernatural, and The Voice. She will join MicroCo in October while continuing to lead her production banner, AHA Studios.
MicroCo's original Microseries — running approximately 1–3 minutes per episode and designed for binge-watching — aim to expand upon the currently-available short-form content that has made vertical scrolling ubiquitous. It will span multiple genres, from romance to horror, and will feature both live action and animated series.
"As viewing habits shift towards fast, social, and mobile-first experiences, our Microseries will deliver high-impact storytelling meant to be shared," said Winograde. "Whether it's leaning into genre or the creator community, we have the tools to meet fans in their native ecosystems and pull them into this new format and platform built just for them."
MicroCo is AI-native from day one. Its technology backbone will drive:
- Creator enablement, including tools, templates, and analytics to streamline storytelling.
- Intelligent discovery and personalization for fans, designed to help them find programming that matches their mood and interests; and
- Revenue diversification, with MicroCo exploring varied revenue models, including a mix of advertising, in-app transactions and other premium options for superfans.
"While the need for great stories never changes, viewing habits do, and microdramas have proven that short-form storytelling can attract and engage an audience," added Rovner. "But what's been missing is the quality, creative passion, and fun that our team will bring to this format."
MicroCo's deep integration with Cineverse provides significant strategic advantages:
- Tech stack leadership: Matchpoint™, the AI-powered streaming infrastructure, driven by Cineverse India's 100-plus person engineering team, and developed over several years, supports fast, efficient content delivery and the ability to quickly launch a streaming platform built for scale;
- Massive data engine: of more than two million titles, including proprietary AI-generated metadata, enabling smart discovery and curation;
- Expansive library: 71,000+ assets, including films, series, and podcasts—some of which may be adapted into Microseries;
- Fandom reach: 150M+ fans across genres including horror and sci-fi (Screambox, Midnight Pulp, BloodyDisgusting.com), anime and Asian entertainment (RetroCrush, AsianCrush), true crime (Crime Hunters), and romance (Dove Channel); and
- Proven marketing machine: Cineverse's "Moneyball" approach turned Terrifier 3 into a
$90M $1M marketing spend, thanks to the ability to leverage its top 10 podcast network, FAST channels, social media, C360 ad network and more.
"By bringing
About Cineverse Technology Group
Cineverse develops proprietary technology that powers the future of entertainment, leveraging the Company's position as a pioneer in the video streaming industry along with the industry-leading strength of its development team in
About Cineverse
Cineverse (Nasdaq: CNVS) is a next-generation entertainment studio that empowers creators and entertains fans with a wide breadth of content through the power of technology. It has developed a new blueprint for delivering entertainment experiences to passionate audiences and results for its partners with unprecedented efficiency, and distributes more than 71,000 premium films, series, and podcasts. Cineverse connects fans with bold, authentic, independent stories. Properties include the highest-grossing unrated film in
About Banyan Ventures
Banyan is the private investment and incubation company for Lloyd Braun (with partners Sarah Bremner and Noah Oppenheim). Banyan backs innovative media ventures, original storytelling platforms, and visionary founders across film, television, digital media, and emerging technologies.
CONTACTS
For Media, The Lippin Group for Cineverse
cineverse@lippingroup.com
For Investors, Julie Milstead
investorrelations@cineverse.com
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SOURCE Cineverse Corp.
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