Big stories, small formats: Microdrama rises as the Nordics take centre stage at Series Mania

“Europe is now really the place where creativity is booming and blooming, and where many of the most powerful and original shows come from,” said Laurence Herszberg, Series Mania founder and Managing Director, to Nordisk Film & TV Fond (NFTVF).

In a sometimes windy and chilly Lille in France, the Nordics brought the heat – emerging as a hotspot at one of Europe’s biggest international TV festivals Series Mania, which concludes today. Two series from SVT were nominated – My Brother (Jag for ner till bror) in the category International Competition for best series, and Burden of Justice (Hundarna) in International Panorama Competition. Yle’s Atlantis Pasila was nominated for Best Short Format Series. Both are supported by NFTVF.

The festival, which attracts production companies, distributors, broadcasters, streaming giants, and journalists from all over the world, and a host of – predominantly French – stars, had 375 series submitted from 64 countries. More than 108,000 visitors were expected to attend, including 5,000 industry professionals.

The TV industry remains in flux, shaped not least by an increasingly uncertain global climate. This was also reflected in darker themes across many of the showcased series, with stories exploring totalitarianism and the erosion of democratic systems. In Etty (Netherlands), the Nazi occupation is set in a “contemporary” Amsterdam, while The Best Immigrant(Verzet, Belgium) imagines a fascist government deporting foreigners – unless they compete in a ruthless reality show for the chance to win a residence permit. It’s clear that the world is in turmoil, and this influences the stories being told, said Herszberg:

“There is a strong tendency towards shows exploring the dangers of authoritarian regimes, or the lessons to be learned when extreme forces come to power. These stories may look to the past, but also to dystopian futures.”

Swedish My Brother was one of the nominated series that generated significant buzz among international visitors interviewed by NFTVF during the event. The overall Nordic presence was strong throughout the festival – from panels and debates to a packed room at Tuesday’s content showcase Coming Next from the Nordics: Finland, Norway and Sweden.

Among the Nordic titles presented were Norwegian Royal Blood (Blått blod), a historical drama centred on Scandinavian royalty; Dead Women Talking (Kuollut nainen puhuu, Finland), a crime series following a podcast investigating cold cases; Citizens of Heaven (Finland), about a mysterious cult; and Bandstand (Sweden), a six-part period drama set in 1957 about forbidden love. Other titles included Still Breathing (LIS, Norway), a hospital drama focusing on interns, and When Nobody’s Listening (Sweden), a crime thriller based on the EncroChat police breakthrough.

“In the beginning, we were all amazed when we first saw Nordic Noir. That was some years ago, and at one point the market became a bit saturated. But you are still very good at telling stories. And you can co-produce across countries, giving access to more financing from the outset, which is a real asset. Now we’re seeing another wave of highly original shows that travel very easily,” Laurence Herszberg said.

One of the biggest talking points during Series Mania was microdrama – short-form, vertical storytelling. Asian markets are leading the growth, with more than 40 per cent of Internet users in some regions engaging with the format, but Western markets are quickly catching up. Content on the two largest US platforms has grown to more than 4,000 titles, and the next major growth markets are expected to be Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina, according to London-based analyst firm, Ampere Analysis.

“Microdrama is shaping up to become a parallel ecosystem that sits alongside long-form drama. Audiences today move across multiple environments, from microdrama apps, vertical feeds on social platforms, VOD, and streamers, and I can’t see that changing anytime soon,” said Steve Matthews, Head of Scripted, Creative, at Banijay Entertainment, to NFTVF.

”I don’t know how it’s going to shape up in Europe for instance – nobody does – but I am sure it’s not the case that one will somehow replace the other. There’s room for all of it.”

On Wednesday, it was also announced that Banijay, together with Yle in Finland, will produce the microdrama Survival Sisters, a 20-part mockumentary. Each five-minute episode will be produced in dual formats: 16:9 for Yle’s streaming service, Yle Areena, and 9:16 for the broadcaster’s social media channels. The news was revealed during a panel on microdrama apps.

Minna Virkajärvi, Executive Producer at Banijay Finland, said: “Banijay Finland is known for creating innovative, culturally resonant and often satirical drama and comedy, and Survival Sisters is a natural step as we expand into short-form and vertical formats.”

And new data from the European Audiovisual Observatory points to a “trend reversal” in the European TV market over the past four years, marked by falling production levels, fewer episodes per season and shorter formats overall.

”It certainly has become less and less episodes in the season. When I started out, it was difficult enough to get the funding for 13 episodes, to get it internationally. Then it went down to 10, and then it went down to 8, which I find normal, but everyone says 6 is also fine. So we're more than half from what it was,” said Synnøve Hørsdal, producer and CEO of Norway’s Maipo Film at a panel, adding:

“To get the budgets, you get less episodes and fewer minutes.”

Revenue growth in Western Europe’s media industry fell from USD 15.2 billion during the 2020–2022 peak to USD 9.3 billion in 2023–2025, according to Ampere Analysis. All major streaming services are scaling back original production budgets while ramping up acquisitions — a far cry from the USD 50 million budget of Amazon’s “Lord of the Rings” series just four years ago.

But despite an industry undergoing major transformation, the outlook is not as bleak as the numbers might suggest, according to Research Manager Olivia Deane.

In the post–peak TV era, longer production timelines are creating bottlenecks. The market is shifting towards shorter formats, strategic acquisitions, profitability, and genres such as crime and unscripted. While revenue growth fell by 53%, spending on original content declined by just 3%. In 2025, there were only 2% fewer scripted TV commissions in Western Europe — but they took 40% longer to produce, according to the company.

“We’ve got a bottleneck, and it’s why the current state of production can’t capitalise on what is actually a very strong and healthy global acquisitions market,” said Deane during a session titled A **Year in Series: The Post-Peak TV Era.

One series that broke new ground early on with short episodes was the Norwegian hit Skam. This year’s recipient of Series Mania Forum’s sixth annual Woman in Series Award was Marianne Furevold-Boland, Head of Drama at NRK.

“I feel humble and incredibly honoured to receive this award. I share it with the many talented people I’ve worked with over the years. Recognition like this is both inspiring and energising, and gives you the motivation to take on new projects,” she told NFTVF.

Asked about the biggest challenges facing public service and the industry today, she added:

“We need to stay focused on the stories we bring to life. We must keep the banner of drama flying high, trusting in both our ability and our mission to tell stories that entertain, challenge, and offer new perspectives. By fostering dialogue and reflection, we help move society forward – together.”

Several major streaming players, including Disney+ and SkyShowtime, touched down in Lille this week, underlining the festival’s growing industry weight. One of the headline moments was the premiere of The Testaments, Disney+’s highly anticipated sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale.

Also on site was Pil Gundelach Brandstrup, GVP, Original Production Networks & Streaming at Warner Bros. Discovery – and she’s in little doubt about the strength of Nordic storytelling.

“I think we have a very strong creative industry in the Nordics. We create impactful stories, and a lot of them have also been able to travel. For us, the most important thing is that they do their work locally and in the Nordics. But I think what was interesting when we did the call-out saying ‘now we're back into scripted’, we got so many great pitches, really proving the creative abundance that we have,” she said, adding:

“We are looking for character driven premium high-end series within the crime, thriller, drama space. But we want them to be deeply rooted in authentic Nordic reality and really shaping that narrative and the mood of the stories, and not just have it as a backdrop.”

Laurence Herszberg sums up her wishes for the future of the industry.

“My hope is that these stories can travel further. TV series are a powerful way of connecting people – offering insight into how others live, opening up new perspectives, and allowing ideas to be challenged. At a time when not everyone can travel or meet, storytelling becomes even more important. Series are not just entertainment – they are a window to the world.”

Series Mania will conclude on March 27, and the winners will be announced at the closing ceremony. This article will be updated if any Nordic productions wins.