Animal‑centred entertainment and media (ACEM) – ranging from traditional television documentaries to short‑form clips on social platforms – has become a dominant genre in the global media ecosystem. While much scholarship has examined what animals are shown and why they attract audiences, comparatively little attention has been paid to how long such content runs and how duration shapes viewer engagement, knowledge retention, animal welfare, and commercial outcomes. This paper reviews the existing literature on media length, conducts a cross‑platform content‑duration analysis (television, streaming services, YouTube, TikTok, and emerging virtual‑reality formats), and discusses the ethical implications of varying runtimes. Findings indicate a bimodal distribution of ACEM lengths (short‑form ≤ 3 min; long‑form ≥ 45 min) that correlates with platform‑specific consumption habits, audience demographics, and production economics. The paper argues for a “duration‑ethics” framework that balances audience attention spans, educational efficacy, and animal welfare, and offers concrete guidelines for creators, broadcasters, and regulators.

However, the consumption of long-form content is changing. In an era of "second screening" (using a phone while watching TV), even high-budget nature docs are competing with the distraction of short-form media. This has led to a stylistic shift; modern documentaries often rely on higher stakes, dramatic musical scores, and rapid cuts to maintain engagement,

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