ShortsTV

Overview

ShortsTV is a dedicated short film channel and distribution platform operated by Shorts International Ltd, a London-based company founded by Carter Pilcher in 2000. ShortsTV is the world's first and only 24/7 television channel dedicated exclusively to short films, programming curated short content across drama, comedy, documentary, animation, and genre categories. The channel is available on cable, satellite, and streaming platforms across the United States, Europe, India, and Latin America.

Shorts International Ltd is majority-owned by Shorts Entertainment Holdings, with AMC Networks as a significant minority shareholder. The company is headquartered in London, England, and is represented in the United States by Shorts Entertainment Networks, a wholly-owned subsidiary in Los Angeles. ShortsTV operates alongside Shorts International's other divisions: its digital distribution business (iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play in over 90 countries) and Shorts Factory (original short film content production for broadcasters and brands).

ShortsTV maintains the world's largest catalogue of professionally produced short films, acquired from the world's major film festivals and independent suppliers. The channel's programming includes award-winning and star-studded shorts alongside original programming that spotlights emerging and established talent. ShortsTV also produces and distributes short movie theatrical releases, including the annual Oscar Nominated Short Films program.

Platform Availability

ShortsTV is available across multiple platforms and regions:

United States: Available on DirecTV and Dish Network (cable/satellite), Amazon Prime Video as a channel add-on (SVOD), and through the ShortsTV+ mobile app on iOS and Android. The advertising-supported connected TV channel "Shorts" is available on Rakuten TV.

Europe: Available on cable and satellite platforms across multiple European markets, with SVOD access through Amazon Prime Video Channels in the UK, USA, and Europe.

India: ShortsTV operates a dedicated channel for the Indian market, with programming tailored to local language preferences alongside English-language content.

Latin America: Available as TVCortos, a Spanish-language version of the channel serving Mexico, Chile, and other Latin American markets.

Asia: ShortsTV has announced the upcoming launch of a dedicated 24/7 short movie channel in Asia, expanding the company's global footprint further.

The ShortsTV+ mobile app allows audiences to create personalised movie channels based on favourite genres and mood, available on Apple iPhones and Android devices. Online, ShortsTV offers hundreds of independent short films for streaming on iTunes stores across the globe, as well as on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and other platforms in selected markets.

Short Film Distribution Landscape

Short films have historically been among the most commercially underserved categories of cinema. While an Academy Award nomination for Best Short Film carries significant career value, the commercial distribution infrastructure for short content has been limited. Feature-length streaming platforms do not serve short films well: shorts are too brief to justify individual discovery by casual viewers browsing a catalog, and the standard SVOD model does not accommodate 10 to 20 minute content effectively.

ShortsTV addresses this discovery problem by providing a dedicated context for short-form viewing. The 24/7 channel format means audiences tune in specifically to watch short films, creating a viewing environment that matches the content format. This curated approach solves the discovery and context problem that prevents short films from performing on general-purpose streaming platforms.

For short filmmakers, ShortsTV provides a commercial distribution destination that pays licensing fees for broadcast and streaming rights. The company acquires approximately 300 international short films and 200 national shorts per year, with acquisition teams attending major short film festivals including Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy, and Brussels. Rights are typically 4-year non-exclusive TV and TV replay rights, allowing filmmakers to pursue other distribution channels simultaneously.

Oscar Shorts Theatrical Program

ShortsTV produced and distributed the annual Oscar Nominated Short Films theatrical release from 2006 through 2025, bringing the Academy Award-nominated short films in Live Action, Animation, and Documentary categories to commercial theatres. In recent years, the program was released in over 700 theatres across the US and Canada, with international releases in the UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, India, South Africa, Mexico, Chile, China, and Australia. The program was the world's largest commercial release of short films.

For the 98th Academy Awards in 2026, the Oscar Nominated Shorts theatrical distribution has transitioned to Roadside Attractions. The program will be released exclusively in US and Canada theatres on February 20, 2026, presented by Taika Waititi. The program features three feature-length theatrical compilations (Animated, Documentary, and Live Action). This is a significant change for short filmmakers: the Oscar Shorts theatrical program, which ShortsTV operated for nearly 20 years, is now handled by a separate distributor. ShortsTV's website still references the Oscar Shorts program, but the 2026 theatrical release is a Roadside Attractions presentation licensed by the Academy.

The 2026 Oscar Nominated Short Films include:

• Animated: Butterfly, Forevergreen, The Girl Who Cried Pearls, Retirement Plan, The Three Sisters
• Documentary: All the Empty Rooms, Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud, Children No More: 'Were and Are Gone', The Devil Is Busy, Perfectly a Strangeness
• Live Action: A Friend of Dorothy, Butcher's Stain, Jane Austen's Period Drama, The Singers, Two People Exchanging Saliva

What Filmmakers Should Know

For short filmmakers seeking commercial distribution, ShortsTV is one of the primary global distribution options alongside Vimeo On Demand (for direct self-distribution) and festival circuit exposure. The channel's licensing model pays short filmmakers for broadcast and streaming rights, providing revenue that most short films never generate through festival-only circulation.

ShortsTV's acquisition criteria are straightforward: professionally produced live action, animation, and documentary short films, 10 to 20 minutes on average (up to 40 minutes maximum), shot in HD, in any genre. The company accepts films in English, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, German, and other languages. Rights are non-exclusive and run for 4 years, meaning filmmakers retain copyright and can pursue other distribution channels simultaneously.

Filmmakers can submit directly through the ShortsTV website or through festival relationships. The company's acquisition team includes Linda Campos Olszewski, who has served on over 100 international film festival juries and runs festival strategy and distribution workshops in the US, Mexico, and South America. ShortsTV also actively champions diversity in its programming, with dedicated spotlights including "Films by HER" (women directors), "Latino Films" spotlights, and an upcoming Global First Nation spotlight for Indigenous filmmakers.

For filmmakers with Academy Award-nominated short films, the 2026 Oscar Shorts theatrical program is now handled by Roadside Attractions, not ShortsTV. Nominees should contact Roadside Attractions directly about the theatrical program. For non-nominated short filmmakers, ShortsTV's general programming considers a range of quality short content for its channels, with acquisition through direct submission or festival relationships.

See Also

For how short film distribution differs from feature film distribution in revenue and strategy, see Distribution Deals Explained. For short film festivals that serve as the primary discovery platform for short film content before broadcast distribution, see the Film Festivals Directory. For the parent company's broader digital distribution operations, see the Shorts International entry in this directory.