aTwist (formerly MicroCo)
Key facts
- Operator / parent
- Banyan Ventures (Lloyd Braun), with Cineverse (NASDAQ: CNVS) holding a passive minority stake since June 2026
- Origin
- United States
- Headquarters
- United States
- Launched
- 3 September 2026
- Category
- App · Other origin
aTwist, formerly MicroCo, is a US microdrama platform backed by Banyan Ventures, the company of the former ABC executive Lloyd Braun, with the listed studio Cineverse as a passive minority shareholder. It makes original microseries of one to three minutes, live action and animated, and describes itself as AI-native. It launched on 3 September 2026 with 10 original series across eight English-language markets: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India and the Philippines. Its partners include Hartbeat, the studio founded by Kevin Hart, which made aTwist the exclusive home for its vertical originals on 1 September 2026 under a slate of more than 20 microseries; BET Studios, part of Paramount, which holds a limited first-run window for long-form versions; National CineMedia, which carries aTwist microseries in cinema pre-shows; Bradley Bell of The Bold and the Beautiful; and Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita, who are producing a musical microseries. On its Q4 FY2026 earnings call in June 2026 Cineverse said it had moved from a 50-50 holding to a passive minority stake, citing a picks-and-shovels rationale rather than an arms race.
Reported figures
| Metric | Figure | Basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | not broken out; Cineverse, a minority shareholder, reported $16.3m for Q3 FY2026 | official | Cineverse filing |
| Funding | Not disclosed for aTwist. | no basis given | — |
Profile
- Markets
- United States.
- Content
- Original microseries of one to three minutes, live action and animated, described as AI-native. More than 20 series in production across scripted, unscripted and animation, spanning comedy, drama, unscripted, horror and romance.
- Monetisation
- Selected episodes free with advertising; full seasons unlocked with coins or a subscription. No prices were disclosed at launch.
- Profitability
- Cineverse reports positive adjusted EBITDA; aTwist is not broken out.
- Backers
- BET Studios (Paramount); Winograde, formerly of Showtime, and Rovner, formerly of NBCUniversal.
People
- Jana Winograde, chief executive, formerly president of Showtime. Susan Rovner, co-founder, formerly chairman of NBCUniversal content and president of Warner Bros. Television. Lloyd Braun, co-founder, formerly chairman of ABC Entertainment Group and of WME. Josh Silberman leads unscripted. Sean McCabe is chief financial officer of Cineverse.
Sources
Update
: The profile described aTwist as co-owned by Cineverse and Banyan Ventures and as not yet launched. Cineverse moved to a passive minority stake in June 2026, and the app launched on 3 September 2026.