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
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
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Cineverse (NASDAQ:CNVS), a next-generation entertainment studio, and Banyan Ventures, the venture arm of former ABC Entertainment Group and WME Chairman Lloyd Braun, today announced the launch of MicroCo. A 50/50 joint venture between the two companies, MicroCo will be the first U.S.-based studio and AI native platform built specifically for high-quality Microseries: serialized, short-form, mobile-first content specifically designed for modern viewing habits. The consumer-facing name of the soon-to-launch platform will be announced at a later date.
Commonly known as "Microdramas", this vertical format has exploded internationally, becoming a $7B+ market in China alone and generating hundreds of millions of views. Despite there being no premium U.S.-based platform for this content, Microdrama Apps have dominated app store Entertainment rankings.
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 $10B outside of China by 2027. MicroCo will produce low cost, high-quality content and deliver it directly to genre-driven audiences with an AI native platform built to foster and engage passionate fan communities. As technology evolves, MicroCo is built to evolve with it – adapting quickly, integrating smartly, and always guided by human creativity.
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 global box office success on a sub-$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 Hollywood best practices to a global format that's taken off in Asia—but hasn't been cracked in the U.S.—we believe MicroCo is uniquely positioned to lead this space," said Opeka. "The tech, the talent, the timing—it all lines up."
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 India. This team has dedicated years to building and refining technology solutions that have pioneered streaming content management and distribution while leaning into advances in AI to set the company apart from the competition. This includes the creation of Matchpoint™, an award-winning media supply chain service that is radically changing the way content is managed and delivered. The Company's cineSearch is an AI-powered search and discovery tool for film and television that makes deciding what to watch as entertaining as the entertainment itself. Additionally, the C360 programmatic audience network and ad-tech platform provides brands the opportunity to target and reach key fandoms wherever they are.
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 U.S. history; dozens of streaming fandom channels; a premier podcast network; top horror destination Bloody Disgusting; and more. Powering visionary storytelling with cutting-edge innovation, Cineverse's proprietary streaming tools and AI technology drive revenue and reach to redefine the next era of entertainment. For more information, visit home.cineverse.com.
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
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SOURCE Cineverse Corp.