Netflix sets 2027 for themed Clips feeds as YouTube reports microdrama growth

Netflix said on October 26, 2026, that it will roll out themed Clips categories in 2027, which it described as “more niche feeds built around genres, moods or interests.” Clips is the vertical feed of short scenes from Netflix series, films and specials that the company added to its phone app this year.

The announcement came with a reworked app for Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, which went on sale on October 23. Netflix said the app has a more flexible home screen and player controls that adapt to how the phone is held, whether full screen, in book pose, tent pose or tabletop. A frame-accurate switch between vertical and horizontal clips is “coming soon,” it said.

How Clips got here

Netflix introduced Clips on April 30, 2026, in the U.S., the UK, Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Africa, and made the new mobile design available globally on August 25. At launch it said it would later expand Clips to podcasts, live programming and collections based on genres such as romance. The October post puts a year on the themed feeds.

Netflix gave no figure for how much viewing happens on phones. “Many members watch mostly or only on a phone,” it said. Its third-quarter letter to shareholders, which acknowledged investor concern about growth in viewing hours, did not mention Clips; see what Netflix reported for the quarter.

YouTube's microdrama numbers

On October 27, YouTube published new figures on microdramas: serialized stories that creators tell in fast-paced 60-second scenes, often shot vertically for phones. Some of the numbers first appeared in September, when YouTube launched Shorts series, a tool that lets creators organize Shorts into seasons and episodes with custom thumbnails and sequential playback.

YouTube also said that “in the coming weeks” it will revamp members-only episodes on mobile, so viewers can join a channel membership and keep watching without leaving the episode. YouTube presented the change as part of new ways for creators to earn from Shorts series.

What it means for creators and other services

For creators, the economics of Shorts change on February 1, 2027. To earn each month from YouTube's Shorts Creator Pool, a channel will need 10 million qualified Shorts views over the previous 90 days. A channel that misses that bar stays in the YouTube Partner Program and keeps its other earnings, including from long-form videos, YouTube says. See what changes for YouTube creators.

Netflix is not the only streaming service adapting to the new phone. Apple said Prime Video and Paramount+ are also using the iPhone Duo's larger canvas, whose inner display is 50% bigger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max's. The phone starts at $1,999 in the U.S. Apple's own description of the Netflix app already had Clips switching between vertical and horizontal views, while Netflix's post lists the frame-accurate switch as coming soon.