Disney+ adds TikTok-style vertical videos to attract kids

As attention spans only get shorter, Disney is looking to bring more attention to Disney+ borrowing from TikTok’s playbook.

The studio announced plans Wednesday to roll out short-form vertical video content on the Disney+ app in the United States later this year.

“The experience will evolve as it expands into news and entertainment and delivers a more personalized and dynamic experience that will strengthen Disney+ as a must-have daily destination,” the House of Mouse said in a statement. job recapping announcements from the company’s Tech + Data Showcase at CES in Las Vegas.

This decision follows Disney’s launch of “Greens”, short sports films and analysis clips, on the ESPN app last year.

Disney says the initiative aims to boost daily engagement on the platform. While streaming services still care about subscriber growth, more of their profit growth now depends on advertising, which compels users to show up more often and stay longer. Short video is one way to achieve this.

TikTok, first launched in China in 2016 before expanding globally in 2017, has perfected this type of habit-forming daily engagement. And it didn’t take long for competitors to copy the formula. Meta rolled out Instagram Reels in 2020, and YouTube followed with Shorts in 2021.

Now it looks like streamers are next.

Erin Teague, executive vice president of product management for Disney Entertainment and ESPN, said during a CES speech that mobile is a major opportunity for Disney+.

“Over the next year, we’re introducing vertical video experiences to Disney+. Think about all the short-form Disney content you’d want in one unified app,” Teague said. “Over time, we will evolve the experience by exploring apps for a variety of formats, categories and content types for a dynamic feed of what you care about – sports, news and entertainment – ​​updated in real time based on your last visit.

In an interview with DeadlineTeague added that the initiative also aims to meet younger audiences where they are.

“That’s what Gen Z and Alpha expect. They don’t necessarily think about sitting down and watching two-and-a-half hour long content on their phone,” Teague told Deadline.

Disney is not the first streamer to experiment with vertical video. Netflix has started test a similar short video stream feature last year, using it extensively to highlight and promote its long-form content.

Teague, however, told Deadline that Disney treats its short-form video content not as previews of longer shows or movies, but as enhancements to the overall Disney+ experience.