The vertical documentary series The Lion Throne takes place in FlareFlow
COL Group’s FlareFlow and Singapore-based Bomanbridge Media have collaborated on one of the first premium documentary series in vertical format, a wildlife title that will go live on the platform in more than 200 countries in late Q3 2026.
Unveiled at Owl&Co’s Vertical Media Summit in Los Angeles, “Mapogo: The Lion Throne” was shot over several years in South Africa’s Sabi Sands Game Reserve and follows the rise and collapse of the Mapogo Lion Coalition – a pride whose members, including Mr. T, Kinky Tail and Makulu, reportedly killed more than 100 rival lions during their reign and maintained devoted online followers long after their reign ended.
Microdrama artist Sam Myerson will narrate the series. Myerson broke out with “Oops, I Married My Bestie’s Brother”, which reached 220 million views within 10 days of release on FlareFlow.
“The telling of ‘Mapogo’ is an incredible opportunity to show how the core elements of a great microdrama are completely universal,” said Myerson. “The same things that keep fans hooked on microdramas, like intense drama, high stakes and shifting loyalties, are exactly what make These Lions so fascinating. We’re bringing that same fast-paced, gripping energy to a new microdrama documentary format.”
The project is positioned as the flagship title for FlareFlow’s Vertical 2.0 initiative, which aims to take the platform’s short-form mobile format beyond scripted content and into premium factual programming. FlareFlow currently has approximately 5,200 series and 33 million registered users in more than 200 countries and territories, with content available in 14 languages.
Timothy Oh, managing director of international business at COL Group and chief marketing officer of FlareFlow, said: “‘Mapogo: The Lion Throne’ is the perfect story to launch a documentary as part of Vertical 2.0, because its emotional DNA already reflects the very best premium scripted storytelling. This is one of nature’s most legendary true sagas, packed with betrayal, power, loss and tension that vertical audiences instinctively connect with.”
Headquartered in Singapore with an additional office in London, Bomanbridge produces a catalog of more than 5,700 hours across factual, nature, history, lifestyle and scripted genres. The company has recently expanded its footprint in high-quality natural history through the acquisition of UK distributor West One International – now rebranded as Bomanbridge West – and a manufacturing partnership with German natural history company Doclights.
“The factual genre has always evolved alongside shifts in audience behavior and viewing technology,” said Sonia Fleck, CEO of Bomanbridge Media. “As viewing habits become increasingly mobile-native, we believe the next generation of factual storytelling must evolve with it.”
COL Group is listed on the ChiNext board of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and is one of the first companies to develop the microdrama sector in both China and the US
