Shorts: The New Currency of OTT Engagement

Introduction

OTT consumption is evolving – quietly, yet decisively. Long-form series and feature films will continue anchoring premium OTT platforms; the ways in which users discover and consume that content, however, are shifting.

New-generation audiences, especially mobile-first viewers, do not always want to invest in a 45-minute episode from the very beginning. They are looking for content that starts immediately, is immersive, yet meaningful. This behavioral shift has made room for a new format.

This is where OTT Shorts come in.

Not to be confused with ultra-short social reels, Shorts in an OTT context are emerging as a strong engagement format: one that aligns with contemporary viewing habits sans compromise on storytelling depth or premium value.

In other words, OTT Shorts are 5–10 minute episodic experiences sourced from existing films and series, presented through a vertical full-screen player. They strike a balance between snackable viewing and narrative continuity, rendering them increasingly pertinent in today’s attention economy.

Why OTT Consumption Requires a New Format

Traditional OTT models assume intent: users browse, they decide, and then commit. Mobile-first audiences today, however, are different. Discovery is passive. Attention spans fragment. And there is a willingness to “try before committing.”

Viewers want:

• Faster entry points into the content
• Lower upfront commitment
• More intuitive discovery flow

Shorts fill this gap by minimizing friction while maintaining all the depth required for premium content.

What Are OTT Shorts, Exactly?

Narrative-driven episodes curated with OTT Shorts are not random clips, highlights, or promotional trailers.

Think of it as Game of Thrones: an entire series like that can be segmented into about 200 short episodes.

For example, these Shorts can logically be grouped in sets of 25. Nothing changes with the CDP: synopsis, cast, metadata, and branding remain the same.

What does change, however, is not the location of the content but rather the mode of its experience. When a user initiates playback of a Short, it transfers into a dedicated vertical Shorts mode, engineered specifically for engagement, discovery, and continuation.

A Reimagined Viewing Experience

The Shorts player combines the familiarity of social video consumption with OTT-class playback controls.

Some of the common features include:

• Fullscreen vertical playback
• Liking / Disliking actions to influence recommendations
• Sharing options to extend reach
• In-stream content recommendations while viewing
• “Learn More” actions for full series
• Audio language selection
• Subtitle controls
• Resolution management
• Continue Watching experience

Viewing should be intuitive and effortless. At no time does the user need to think about what they must do next; this needs to be natural.

Shorts or Reels: Alike in Form, Different in Purpose

Although Shorts and Reels are terms generally used interchangeably, they refer to two different concepts, especially within an OTT ecosystem.

Reels target:

• Instant gratification
• Social sharing
• High-frequency scrolling
• Entertainment without continuity of storyline

They are typically under 90 seconds, optimized for virality and trends, and driven by creators. Reels excel at rapid hooks and fast consumption, but they are not engineered to actually carry complex stories and premium content arcs.

Contrasting OTT Shorts are:

• 5–10 minutes of episodic content
• Narrative-driven and story-led
• Derived from premium films or series
• Designed for engagement, discovery, and monetization – not just for views

If Reels aim for quick attention, Shorts aim for meaningful attention retention. In other words: Reels are a way to pass time; Shorts are a way to invest time.

Entitlements Still Matter: Premium Value Protection

Shorts serve to engage without devaluing premium content. Entitled users see seamless playback; non-entitled users are taken to subscription or upsell paths. Shorts act like a preview layer, allowing users to feel the value of real content before hitting the paywall.

As such, Shorts perform very well as a top-of-funnel and mid-funnel asset in capturing interest early to enable monetization later.

Shorts as A Discovery Engine: Our Approach

Traditional OTT discovery relies on homepage placement, editorial curation, and explicit user intent. Unlike auto-playing feeds, our Shorts are surfaced through a dedicated Shorts section or via operator-defined labels – an approach that gives the platform full control over what counts as discoverable.

Not automatic or feed-driven; users enter Shorts intentionally in a low friction, immersive format.

On Shorts, signals include watch-through, continuing into another session, and entry-to-exit paths that inform performance and future curation. The likes/dislikes will influence recommendations, but discovery remains curated, platform-governed, and not aggressively algorithmic.

This enables surfacing of:

• Older catalogue titles in a controlled way
• Long-tail content that should be renewed
• Genres or narratives selected by editorial or business teams

All in all, Shorts shifts discovery from pure search to guided exploration, maintaining platform control while balancing discoverability with intent. Shorts extend OTT discovery, not replace it

Why Shorts Drive Engagement: A Data Perspective

Shorts do not mean less valuable.

Original research shows that mid-format lengths, 5–10 minutes, represent a sweet spot between attention span and narrative depth.

Key indicators include:

• Mid-length formats drive 2–2.5× higher engagement relative to traditional long-form browsing
• Users spend more than an hour every day on mid and short-length format videos on mobile
• Completion rates increase dramatically with content that is segmented into shorter episodic units

Engagement vs. Content Length (Indicative)

• • • 5–10 min Shorts: 45–55%
    • 30–45 min episodes: 25–30%
    • 60+ min of content: < 25%

Insight: Shorts reduce the anxiety of commitment. More completed videos result in more episodes watched per session and deeper overall engagement.

Monetization: Converting Attention into Revenue

Shorts unlock new monetization without hurting viewing.

1. Vertical Ad Inventory

• Vertical pre/mid/post-roll ads
• Higher mobile full-screen viewability
• Stronger brand recall compared to skippable horizontal ads

2. Faster Subscription Conversion

• Low-friction trials
• Non-paying users gain value before the paywall
• Shorter path from discovery to intent to conversion

Monetization Impact – Indicative

• Ad Viewability: Traditional Long-form – Medium | Shorts – High
• Subscription Trigger Rate: Traditional Long-form – Low–Medium | Shorts – High
• Content ROI: Traditional Long-form – Single-Use | Shorts – Multi-Use

Industry Proof: iQIYI and Sooka

This is already paying off.

iQIYI has seen strong take-up of the short episodic drama format, driving both daily engagement and mobile ad revenue. Sooka incorporates Shorts along with  live TV and VOD to enable seamless content discovery across formats.

Both these platforms illustrate that Shorts are anything but experimental; they are rapidly becoming one of the key means for driving engagement.

Why Shorts Are the New Currency of OTT Engagement

Shorts bring value across the OTT ecosystem:

• Lower friction, higher immersion for users
• For platforms: better engagement, smarter recommendations
• Premium, high-attention inventory for advertisers
• For business: quicker monetization and better content ROI

Business Lever | Impact of Shorts

• Engagement: Higher session frequency
• Retention: Stronger habit formation
• Discovery: Increased catalogue visibility
• Monetization: More ad and subscription revenue
• Content ROI: Improved reusability

Conclusion – The Road Ahead: Shorts and Premium Coexistence

Shorts are not meant to replace long-form storytelling but rather to complement it.

These enable:

• A point of entry for new users
• A discovery layer for existing audiences
• An accelerator for monetization in OTT ventures

In this increasingly cluttered landscape of OTT, the real currency is attention. Shorts provide a scalable mechanism to generate, retain, and monetize that attention and very clearly, one principle will define the future:

He who controls attention controls growth.