Disney+ has solidified its strategy to enter the rapidly growing short-form video market, aiming to launch a new “vertical video” feature in the United States later this year. Unveiled at the “CES 2026” technology trade show in Las Vegas, this new function is designed to deliver a diverse range of content—including entertainment, news, and sports—in a format optimized for today’s mobile-first subscribers.
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Aiming to Promote “Daily Use” Among Viewers
While Disney+ has traditionally anchored its service on feature films and series, this move marks a strategic pivot intended to elevate user engagement frequency to a “daily” habit. According to the announcement, the platform plans to stream original short-form videos alongside show clips and content tailored for social media. The U.S. Disney entity stated, “As this experience expands into news and entertainment, it will evolve to offer a more personalized and dynamic experience. This strengthens Disney+’s position as a ‘destination to visit every day.'”
Dynamic Feed Generation via AI
Erin Teague, Executive Vice President of Product Management, elaborated on the capabilities of this new feature: “We are exploring applications across diverse formats, categories, and content types. Based on previous visit history, we aim to provide a dynamic feed that updates in real-time with content of interest to the user.” This suggests a mechanism similar to the algorithms powering TikTok or Instagram Reels, where content tailored to user preferences is displayed in rapid succession to maintain engagement.
Inheriting Success from Micro-Dramas and ESPN+
There were several strategic precursors to this entry into vertical video. Last October, industry publication Broadcast International reported that Disney+ was exploring the “micro-drama” (short drama) market, which has seen explosive popularity in recent years. This latest announcement appears to be the crystallization of that strategy. Furthermore, Disney’s sports streaming service, ESPN+, introduced a swipeable vertical video feature called “Verts” last year. The success of this feature, which allows users to watch sports highlights via a dedicated in-app tab, seemingly provided the proof of concept required to roll out the technology to the main Disney+ service.