RoseBerry Adapts Classic Soap Opera Into Vertical Video Format for New Streaming Platform
RoseBerry Media is converting episodes of the Australian soap opera Neighbours into short-form vertical videos for the Epis streaming platform, initially focusing on storylines featuring Margot Robbie. The company describes the project as demonstrating how classic television can be reimagined for mobile viewing using AI-powered production techniques. The effort aims to introduce new audiences to the long-running series through this emerging vertical video format.
RoseBerry Media is leveraging artificial intelligence to restructure episodes of the long-running Australian series Neighbours into bite-sized vertical videos optimized for mobile viewing. The initiative targets the Epis streaming platform and initially concentrates on storylines from the 2000s era featuring actress Margot Robbie, whose subsequent Hollywood success has raised the profile of her early television work. This project represents an attempt to revive interest in a series that concluded its 41-season run in 2025, potentially reaching viewers who consume content exclusively on smartphones.
The adaptation sits at an interesting intersection between traditional television production and the emerging microdrama format. While microdramas typically feature low-budget production specifically designed for mobile consumption with melodramatic narrative structures, the Neighbours project draws from premium network television with established production values and established talent. This hybrid approach suggests studios may be experimenting with how legacy content can transition into new distribution channels.
This initiative could influence how entertainment companies monetize aging content libraries by reformatting them for contemporary viewing habits. Streaming platforms may increasingly adopt similar AI-assisted repurposing strategies to extend the commercial lifespan of existing productions. However, the effort's success remains uncertain—unclear whether audiences seeking vertically-formatted entertainment prefer newly-produced content with the microdrama formula over reconstructed legacy programming, and whether such adaptation meaningfully introduces classic series to younger demographics or simply fragments them.