The news: Amazon Web Services (AWS) launched an agentic AI tool that can automatically convert broadcast and streaming video into vertical formats for platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels.

The tool, dubbed “Elemental Inference,” automatically identifies live video action and reformats it for vertical viewing in less than 10 seconds. Early adopters include NBCUniversal and Fox Sports Digital.

Why it matters: Short-form vertical video is a primary channel for discovery and engagement, especially among younger audiences. Seventy-three percent of US consumers watch short-form video multiple times a day, per Media.net, and 81% watch vertical video on smartphones.

As audiences increasingly use social media for news and entertainment content and linear TV continues its decline, broadcasters are being challenged to innovate to stay relevant. Offsetting ad spending declines on traditional TV channels further puts broadcasters under pressure to engage modern audiences.

But adapting long-form programming for platforms like TikTok is resource intensive, requiring time-consuming manual editing that often results in missed opportunities. AWS’ new tool removes one of the biggest operational hurdles to short-form distribution, making live-to-vertical publishing faster and more scalable.

Implications for marketers: More vertical, short-form social content means more ad inventory on high-engagement platforms that are central to mobile video ad strategies. Marketers rate short-form social video as the most effective video ad type (80.7%) while vertical video ads are also rated as highly effective (66.5%), per Smartly and EMARKETER. AWS’ tool stands to dramatically scale short-form video output, increasing the volume of premium inventory available to advertisers.

Marketers simultaneously benefit from the opportunity to advertise around content that occurs in near real time, including clips from live sports from Fox and NBCU. Because the clips are generated within seconds of the action, brands can align with culturally relevant moments while they’re still unfolding. That immediacy increases the likelihood of higher engagement and stronger performance.