Controversy swirled on the subject of short-form content at Mile High Video 2025, the niche Denver-based conference attended by 200 video streaming technologists. While attendees jested about YouTube Shorts and TikTok being a waste of time, personal preferences are moot, because short-form video in vertical (portrait) mode is the present and future of entertainment. Serious studies reflect this, with a paper co-authored by contributors from Sky, Synamedia, and Ozyegin University (Istanbul) making a valid point for how short-form video lacks open standards—raising questions about how to efficiently process and deliver the world’s fastest-growing flavor of content. While major social networks all have sophisticated proprietary technologies, smaller publishers are increasingly leaning into dedicated short-form video sections, without the necessary infrastructure. And…