{"id":9380,"date":"2026-05-05T01:02:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T20:02:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/a-qa-with-chera-tv\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T01:02:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T20:02:42","slug":"a-qa-with-chera-tv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/a-qa-with-chera-tv\/","title":{"rendered":"A Q&A With Chera TV"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\"Article<\/div>\n

Streaming Media has been <\/span>tracking the trend<\/span><\/a> of vertical microdramas (aka vertical dramas), with a recent <\/span>conference session<\/span><\/a> focusing on them. There are <\/span>multiple companies<\/span><\/a> gaining traction in the space, and now there\u2019s a new entrant, <\/span>Chera TV<\/span><\/a>, hoping its unique approach of being what it calls \u201cthe first artist-owned vertical streaming platform\u201d can entice viewers to give it a try as it introduces its dramas this spring.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chera\u2019s easy-to-navigate app convinced me, for one. There isn\u2019t much to the platform yet because Chera is just starting to roll out shows, but so far I haven\u2019t experienced any glitches or dead ends. I watched one of its inaugural dramas, which debuted April 27: To Her Beat<\/em>,\u00a0<\/em>a coming-of-age romance and friendship story set at a dance academy,<\/span>\u00a0which costs $14.99 to buy. (I appreciate that Chera didn\u2019t push a subscription on me, unlike many streaming services.) I found it engaging even with the simple sets and script, and it had high production quality and passable-to-good acting throughout. The group dance scenes didn\u2019t suffer from the restrictions of a vertical frame. Perhaps a big draw for audiences will be that the story is told through the <\/span>female gaze<\/span><\/a>, which is always good to see. <\/span>To Her Beat<\/span><\/em> even passes the <\/span>Bechdel Test<\/span><\/a> despite its love-triangle plotline. (Most romances don\u2019t.) It handles what could be a tired trope in a refreshingly mature way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The app\u2019s gamification was distracting at first\u2014I earned 10 \u201ccherry points\u201d for every segment of show I watched\u2014but by the halfway mark, I was looking forward to the ping notifying me I had earned more points. About 15,000 points earns the viewer a free show. Chera premiered another original series on April 27 called <\/span>Legal Queens<\/span><\/em>, which is a reality series set in a Los Angeles law firm featuring female lawyers. <\/span>A Shot at Love<\/span><\/em> (a fake-dating romance set at a couples\u2019 retreat) will debut on May 18. The app is also advertising psychological thriller <\/span>Ashton Heights<\/span><\/em> as coming soon.<\/span><\/p>\n

I asked questions of the three partners leading Chera, all of whom contributed to the answers:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Calvin
<\/strong>Left to right, Chera TV execs Calvin Singh, Kylie Carson, and Candace Mizga<\/em><\/p>\n

Brandi Scardilli:<\/strong> Chera calls itself the first artist-owned streaming platform. What does that mean for how rights to the content and profit sharing are determined?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chera: Being artist-owned means the people actually creating the work\u2014writers, directors, actors, producers\u2014aren\u2019t just hired hands, they\u2019re stakeholders. At Chera, we structure deals so creatives retain meaningful participation in the upside of their projects. Instead of a traditional buyout model where a platform owns everything, we prioritize shared ownership, backend participation, and transparency in how revenue flows for above-the-line talent. The goal is simple: If a show succeeds, the artists who made it successful benefit from that success.<\/span><\/p>\n

How is Chera able to maintain fair pay standards and to pay residuals while still scaling its business?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve built our model around volume and efficiency, not excess. Instead of putting tens of millions into one project, we fund multiple low-budget shows. That allows us to employ more people, maintain fair pay across the board, and still build in residual structures. For us, scaling isn\u2019t about cutting labor, it\u2019s about smart production and reinvesting back into the creative community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are some of the other ways Chera maintains ethical standards and protocols across its productions?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We think about ethics both on-screen and behind the scenes. That starts with creating safe and respectful sets. Clear communication, strong boundaries, and support for cast and crew, especially around things like intimacy and working conditions. We\u2019re also focused on transparency and fairness, whether that\u2019s compensation, crediting, or protecting people\u2019s likeness in an evolving landscape with AI. And just as importantly, we\u2019re intentional about who we bring into the process, making sure there\u2019s real diversity of perspective, and that those voices are empowered to shape the work. We make it a priority to build a culture where people feel respected, protected, and creatively fulfilled.<\/span><\/p>\n

What content guardrails are put in place to avoid the <\/strong>pitfalls<\/strong><\/a> of the romance genre, which is typified by poor representations of women? How have the shows\u2019 creative teams been assembled to support that?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re aware of the history of the genre, and we actively push against it. That starts with who\u2019s in the room; our teams are diverse, and many of our stories are shaped by women and people who haven\u2019t historically had authorship in this space. On the content side, we look for agency, emotional realism, and relationships that feel earned rather than exploitative. We\u2019re not interested in stories that objectify women, we\u2019re interested in stories that center them.<\/span><\/p>\n

The viewers of vertical dramas <\/strong>tend<\/strong><\/a> to be women. Why is that a valuable audience for Chera to appeal to?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Women are a hugely valuable audience because they\u2019re deeply engaged and incredibly discerning when it comes to storytelling. In vertical drama especially, they\u2019ve been driving viewership but often without being fully served in terms of depth and representation. For us, that\u2019s an opportunity to build real trust through more intentional, thoughtful stories. At the same time, the vertical space is still so new. There\u2019s a massive untapped audience, and we\u2019re excited to connect with both the current viewers and bring in new ones who haven\u2019t yet been reached by vertical storytelling.<\/span><\/p>\n

Does Chera use <\/strong>AI<\/strong><\/a>? If so, how does it continue to center the human elements of production? If not, why was that decision made?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We view AI as a tool, not a replacement for human creativity. It can be helpful in certain parts of the process, like pre-production planning or post-production efficiencies, but it should never come at the expense of the people actually making the work. At Chera, we\u2019re very clear about that line: You will never see us replacing actors, writers, or creatives with AI. Performance, storytelling, and artistic expression are inherently human. If something isn\u2019t created by a human, it stops being art. Our focus is on protecting and elevating the people behind the work, not replacing them.<\/span><\/p>\n

How does Chera approach visual storytelling and shot composition in the vertical genre? Does it require adaptation from traditional methods, or are creatives and camera operators already \u201cvertical natives\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We don\u2019t approach vertical as a limitation, and we treat it as a different canvas for cinematic storytelling. At Chera, we\u2019re very intentional about being cinematic-first. A lot of our directors, DPs, and crew come out of traditional film and television, so the foundation is still rooted in strong visual language including composition, lighting, lensing, and blocking. What\u2019s changed is how we apply those fundamentals to a vertical frame. Where we\u2019ve really leaned in is shooting both horizontally and vertically simultaneously is that it forces a higher level of discipline. You can\u2019t \u201ccheat\u201d framing, it has to work in both formats.\u00a0 So yes, there is adaptation, but it\u2019s not about relearning storytelling, it\u2019s about reframing it.<\/span><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s where our crews stand out. They\u2019re not \u201cvertical natives\u201d in the sense of coming up only in mobile-first content. They\u2019re experienced filmmakers who\u2019ve adapted their craft. That\u2019s a big difference. We\u2019re not chasing trends, we\u2019re bringing the rigor and quality bar of traditional film\/TV into a new format. Ultimately, our goal is to elevate the space. Vertical doesn\u2019t have to feel disposable or low-fi. It can and should feel as considered, as emotional, and as visually compelling as anything you\u2019d see on a traditional screen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n \"Streaming\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n


\n Related Articles
\n \n <\/p>\n


\n <\/p>\n
\n
\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n


\n AI and the Vertical Drama Industry<\/a><\/h3>\n


\n Hudson Vertical’s Thom Woodley affirms that AI does indeed have a role to play in the evolution and expansion of the vertical drama industry, given the data-driven nature of the business and its roots in gaming and interactive fiction, along with its inherent “what you want to watch when you’re drunk at 2 a.m.” nature that makes the prominence and potential future predominance of AI on the creative side and how long vertical drama producers will still be telling human-centric stories an open question. Woodley ponders these issues and more in this lively exchange with Chris Pfaff Tech Media’s Chris Pfaff at Streaming Media Connect 2026. \n <\/p>\n


\n
\n
\n 27 Apr 2026<\/span> \n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


\n <\/p>\n

\n
\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n


\n Sneak Preview: Vertical Leap: Growing the Free Vertical Drama Business at Streaming Media Connect<\/a><\/h3>\n


\n Vertical drama is exploding on free streaming platforms, driven by mobile-first viewing, bingeable formats, and a new generation of viewers and global creators. Tune in on February 26 at Streaming Media Connect as experts from Celestine Pictures, Hudson Vertical, Stratagem Vertical, and GoodShort break down the business models, distribution strategies, and monetization tactics driving the vertical drama boom\u2014and explain how to scale it effectively. \n <\/p>\n


\n
\n
\n 17 Feb 2026<\/span> \n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


\n <\/p>\n

\n
\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n


\n Inside the Micro-Drama Boom: Life on Set, Opportunity, and the Future of Storytelling<\/a><\/h3>\n


\n The world of streaming is on the brink of another shift. After years of long-form dominance\u2014sprawling series, multi-hour binge sessions, and cinematic storytelling\u2014attention is swinging toward a radically different format: micro-dramas. And if the early signals are right, they could be the most significant disruption to OTT since the binge model itself. \n <\/p>\n


\n
\n
\n 11 Sep 2025<\/span> \n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


\n
\n
\n <\/section>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Streaming Media has been tracking the trend of vertical microdramas (aka vertical dramas), with a recent conference session focusing on them. There are multiple companies gaining traction in the space, and now there\u2019s a new entrant, Chera TV, hoping its unique approach of being what it calls \u201cthe first artist-owned vertical streaming platform\u201d can entice […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-live-session"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9380"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9380\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paknews.centers.pk\/ur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}