Digital formats have stopped being the bolt-on. That was the clear message from one of the most candid sessions at the TellyCast Digital Content Forum 2025, where Sony Pictures, ITV Studios and Mako Studios laid out a new reality. The old pipeline where digital existed to “promote the TV show” is gone. Platforms are now the primary arena, the money is following consumption, and the major studios have finally accepted they must build for YouTube, TikTok and Shorts first rather than treat them as afterthoughts.
Moderated by Object co-founder Bart Frank, the panel featured Matt Ford (VP Commercial, Digital Studio, Sony Pictures), Mike Beale (Managing Director, Global Creative Network and Production Support, ITV Studios) and Taf Makopa (Founder and CEO, Mako Studios). What emerged was a rare moment of alignment between global studios and next-gen creators on where the digital-first format ecosystem is heading.
“We are making original content for YouTube,” Sony’s Matt Ford told the room. “It is the first time Sony Pictures has gone into that space. Historically, like so many studios, digital was used for distribution and promotion. Now we are creating made-for-platform content: new formats, new shows, new IP.”
Sony is now setting up a new digital division with plans to launch multiple channels a year. “This is a long-term play,” Ford said. “A five, six, seven-year strategy. The platforms reward consistency, so we want returnable formats that work week in, week out. And we want to build an ecosystem around them.”
Ford also acknowledged that Sony is effectively backing itself rather than relying on broadcasters. “We are funding the content, distributing the content and building the audience direct. We do not know who is going to pay for it at the end. But the point is the audience. Once you build that, the monetisation comes.”
ITV Studios’ Mike Beale agreed that the shift is structural. “For us, it is about taking our existing brands and working out how to extend them,” he said. “And surprisingly, not everything in development is right for television. Some strands or challenges are better suited to digital, and this is a great opportunity to bring those to screen.”
Beale was also frank about the advantage large studios still hold. “We spend a lot of money on development every year. We have huge brand depth, huge talent access. And we already know how to get brand deals, do live events and operate global pipelines. We can be helpful in this ecosystem. We want to be in it.”
ITV is looking both ways. On one side is digital-first commissioning and brand-led content. On the other is spotting what formats succeed on social video and translating them back to television. “We are definitely looking at what works in digital that we can take back to TV,” Beale said. “It can come both ways.”
If the major studios are now openly in build mode, Taf Makopa is already living in the next phase. The former Wall of Entertainment executive, who helped fuel the rise of Footasylum’s channel and build multi-format hits such as Does the Shoe Fit?, has launched Mako Studios to solve a growing problem: spiralling costs.
“Some brands simply cannot afford to get the spotlight on their own anymore,” Makopa said. “Creators cost more. Production costs more. The market is saturated. So I have identified what I call brand clusters. These are brands that speak to the same audience for different purposes. Instead of three separate shows, we put them in one format where each can shine without clashing.”
Makopa gave a practical example: BoohooMAN (fashion), JBL (audio) and Afrikana (restaurants). “Same audience, different needs,” he said. “In twenty minutes the consumer sees everything as a package that fits their life. And each brand pays a smaller proportion of the budget.”
The idea is gaining traction because economics are tightening. “When we made Does the Shoe Fit? the cost for the full production is now what you pay one or two talents today,” he noted. “The ambition is unrealistic for some brands unless they collaborate.”
Ford confirmed this was once a barrier. “A few years ago, brands did not want to fund another brand’s channel,” he said. “It felt counterintuitive. But now the economics have changed and Taf is doing it successfully.”
Sony is taking a similar view about brand integrations, but emerging from a different strategic angle. Their plan is clear: build a portfolio of channels, own the audience, then open monetisation layers. “Ad revenue, sponsorship, subscriptions, live events, product, merch,” Ford said. “It is the same revenue stack creators use. The difference is Sony has to balance that with overhead.”
Asked how success will be measured, Ford was pragmatic. “Everything is about return. The question is: how long do you give it? You are not going to return in the first 12 months. Anyone entering this space from scratch needs to understand that.”
As for where the market is heading next, all three panellists landed on similar predictions.
Ford said: “More creative shows on streamer platforms.”
Beale said: “We will find new digital-native ideas that can upscale to television.”
Makopa said: “As platforms move to subscriptions, platforms themselves will become commissioners.”
The most striking takeaway was not the forecasts, but the posture shift. Sony is building a YouTube-first division. ITV is rebooting classic IP for Gen Z and scouting social video formats to lift onto linear. Makopa is building cross-brand content ecosystems to make production economically viable again.
The message was unmistakable. Digital formats are no longer the side project. They are the strategy. The companies that succeed will be the ones that treat platforms as their primary window, not their marketing funnel.
