This Week in Vertical — 6–12 July 2026

3 reports on the vertical-drama business dated 6–12 July 2026, each labelled with the basis it rests on and linked to its sources.

By Vertical Observer Archive edition, compiled 23 October 2026; not sent by email

The lead

10 July 2026 Platforms company
Character.AI enters microdrama with c.ai Series
The chatbot platform launched an in-house vertical-drama studio on 9 July: three shows of ten episodes each, freemium, with post-episode chat with the AI characters.
6 July 2026 Content & AI company
Inkitt to launch Ironblood, an all-AI action and science-fiction vertical app
Announced for 15 July, it is billed as the first microdrama app devoted to action, science fiction and superhero titles, fully AI-generated, with around 30 titles a month.
7 July 2026 Europe company
RTVE turns its youth platform Playz into a vertical app
The Spanish public broadcaster's first microdrama, Estúpido Cupido, is a romantic comedy in one-to-three-minute episodes produced by Kokoro Content with a cast of TikTok creators.

8 July 2026The Commission concludes that the Code adequately covers the obligations in Article 50(2), (4) and (5).

8 July 2026Fifteen digital-rights organisations, among them AlgorithmWatch, Bits of Freedom and Corporate Europe Observatory, publish an open letter asking that the planned influencer-transparency rules cover platform…

10 July 2026The Commission preliminarily finds the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook in breach of the Digital Services Act (IP/26/1579), citing infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and highly personalised…

10 July 2026The Bundesrat adopts an opinion at its 1067th sitting, item 29 (Beschlussdrucksache 324/26(B)).