Vertical Storytelling in Indonesia: A Missed Opportunity.
2.5 years in Indonesia and one of the many things I have learnt is an Indonesian is never able to have a complete social interaction without using their phone. As a film maker, what do I see? Opportunity.
Indonesia is one of the most mobile-first nations on Earth.
Stories here are already being consumed vertically — every day, by millions, on smartphones that serve as cinema, television, and social space all in one. From Jakarta to the influencer culture in Bali as well as smaller regional cities, audiences scroll, swipe, and watch in portrait mode as a matter of habit, not novelty.
Based on recent data from 2025 and 2026, Indonesia is among the highest, if not the highest, rates of smartphone-based content consumption in the world.
84% of consumers use smart phones as their primary device for watching streaming/OTT content.
Indonesians are also among the most active mobile users globally, spending over 4 hours per day on mobile internet. Another study noted they spend over 3 hours a day on social media and online video.
Global markets — particularly in parts of Asia — are rapidly developing structured vertical drama ecosystems, creating repeatable production pipelines and monetization models.
And yet, when it comes to professionally produced narrative storytelling, Indonesia has not fully embraced vertical as a creative and economic opportunity.
Indonesia’s formal film and television sectors still largely operate within traditional widescreen assumptions and its vertical content remains largely confined to influencer content and short form social media rather than narrative fiction with production intent.
Indonesia, with its immense content hungry digital audience, is well positioned to reap the benefits of this rapidly growing format as it has all the ingredients for vertical storytelling success:
A young, mobile-native population
High social video consumption
Rapidly growing digital infrastructure
A thriving independent creator base
Regional-language storytelling cultures
Creative industries have always adapted to change. The rise of streaming proved that audiences are ready to embrace new storytelling pathways.
Within the industry itself, the objections have always been the same no matter which country.
Vertical is “lesser.” It is amateur. It is disposable.
So, it is not a failure of creativity. It's a missed strategic alignment. A missed opportunity.
It just requires a shift in mindset.
Vertical storytelling offers something particularly valuable within Indonesia’s economic realities.
For emerging filmmakers navigating limited funding pathways, vertical could provide a viable stepping stone between grassroots creation and long-form production.
It is a format designed for the realities of modern viewing and modern economics.
It lowers the cost of entry.
Production can be scaled.
Stories can be serialized.
Distribution can bypass traditional gatekeepers.
Testing audiences becomes faster and cheaper.
Indonesia is a country of thousands of stories — local, intimate, culturally specific. Vertical storytelling is uniquely suited to this scale of narrative because it thrives on proximity rather than spectacle.
It brings the viewer closer to the character.
It mirrors the personal nature of phone-based viewing.
It allows story worlds to exist without requiring blockbuster economics.
This really is a development opportunity for the future of the Indonesian Film Industry
Countries like Australia have seen this value for years with their government creative industries specifically providing funding pathways for multi-platform content which now includes vertical storytelling.
This funding program has provided opportunities for emerging film makers innovative new storytelling who went on to be some of the world’s most exciting new film making talent Danny and Michael Philippou (Talk to Me) started with their youtube channel RackaRacka and Michael Shanks (Together) started with his series Wizards of Aus.
In an environment where traditional film financing can be difficult and distribution bottlenecks remain real, vertical storytelling acts as:
A development incubator
A training ground for emerging creators
A testing space for new IP
A bridge between independent storytelling and commercial viability
If embraced strategically, it could expand not just how Indonesian stories are told but who gets to tell them.
The opportunity is already in the audience’s hands.
Literally.
The question now is whether the industry will meet them there.