Apps & Consumer
Disney to bring short-form video to Disney+ this year
Disney will introduce short-form video content to Disney+ in the U.S. this year, aiming to increase daily engagement among younger users accustomed to quick clips.
Disney has announced that it is bringing short-form video—defined as brief, vertical mobile content—to its Disney+ streaming service in the U.S. this year. The entertainment giant made the announcement at its Tech + Data Showcase event during CES 2026, the Consumer Electronics Show. The initiative represents a direct effort to capture the attention of mobile-first audiences and increase the frequency of daily visits to the streaming platform, following the success of similar formats on other major platforms. By introducing this feature, Disney is targeting younger users who are accustomed to watching quick clips on their phones rather than long-form content like TV shows and movies.
According to a company blog post, the new experience will evolve as it expands across news and entertainment to deliver a more personalized, dynamic experience that reinforces Disney+ as a must-visit daily destination. The exact nature of the content remains flexible. As reported by Deadline, the videos could include original short-form content, repurposed social clips, scenes from TV shows or movies, or a combination of these formats. “We’re obviously thinking about integrating vertical video in ways that are native to core user behaviors,” said Erin Teague, EVP of Product Management for Disney Entertainment and ESPN, to Deadline. Teague emphasized that the integration will be designed to feel native to user behavior rather than disjointed.
Disney is not the first major entertainment company to adopt this format. Netflix launched a vertical video feed last year that lets users scroll through clips of its original titles, and platforms like TikTok and Instagram have long demonstrated the high engagement rates of vertical feeds. Disney itself has already experimented with the format, having launched a personalized vertical video feed within its ESPN application last year. The move to bring this format to Disney+ represents a broader push to integrate vertical video across the company’s digital portfolio, adapting to the preferences of younger demographics who favor quick-hit mobile content over traditional long-form formats.
Why it matters
Disney is pivoting to short-form video to capture younger audiences and transform Disney+ from a library of long-form content into a “must-visit” daily habit.