Better Yet Develops Creator-Owned Micro-Dramas for African Audiences

What changed

Better Yet, founded by Hallie Haller, has abandoned its original plan to adapt existing South African intellectual property and is now developing original creator-owned micro-dramas.

The format will use vertical mobile video, with episodes lasting roughly 90 seconds to two minutes. Seasons are expected to run for about an hour, released in batches of eight to 10 episodes. Johannesburg filmmaker and digital artist Wandile Xaba has joined the project.

Why it matters

The pivot is a practical lesson in turning a creative universe into a viable company. Licensing other people’s stories would have brought adaptation fees and legal complexity. Owning the underlying work gives Better Yet more control over future screen versions, merchandise and profit-sharing.

Haller is also choosing a lane that differs from much of the global micro-drama market. Better Yet plans to centre comedy, joy and human performers rather than lean mainly on romance, horror or AI-generated production.

That choice matters because the company is trying to change who benefits when a story succeeds. Haller wants writers and directors to share in future profits and adaptations, instead of treating their contribution as a one-off production cost.

The business case remains unsettled. South Africa has no dedicated micro-drama platform or standard buyer, while pricing may fall quickly once the format becomes competitive. Better Yet therefore has to keep production lean without making fair creator pay impossible.

My read is that the format’s real test will not be whether short vertical stories can attract attention. It will be whether Better Yet can build a repeatable commercial model around locally made work while preserving the creative ownership it says is central to the project.