Home / Arts and Entertainment / SAG-AFTRA Unveils Verticals Agreement to Support Booming Microdrama Industry
SAG-AFTRA Unveils Verticals Agreement to Support Booming Microdrama Industry
14 Oct
Summary
- SAG-AFTRA launches new Verticals Agreement for micro and vertical dramas under $300,000 budgets
- Agreement aims to protect performers and support creators in fast-evolving microdrama format
- Microdrama revenues expected to reach $3.8 billion by 2030, surpassing theatrical box office in China
On October 14, 2025, SAG-AFTRA has announced the launch of its groundbreaking Verticals Agreement, a new media contract tailored for the needs of serialized micro and vertical dramas. The agreement will cover various productions with budgets under $300,000, providing critical protections and flexibility for creators, actors, and producers within the SAG-AFTRA union.
"This agreement works for the realities of these productions -- their pace, their budgets, and their creative ambitions, while upholding the union's core standards of actor protections," said Chief Negotiator and National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. The union perceives the advent of "verticals" as an exciting new space, with the fast-evolving format catching on rapidly. Variety reported last month that microdrama revenues generated $819 million in 2024, with projections to climb to $3.8 billion by the end of the decade. In China, microdrama revenues are expected to surpass theatrical box office this year.
The Verticals Agreement aims to meet the growing demand for this new content format, ensuring SAG-AFTRA members have access to good work opportunities as the industry evolves. "By offering a contract that is tailored to the unique needs of these projects, our union is meeting the moment," said Crabtree-Ireland.
