Netflix isn’t the only SVOD service taking cues from the world of free social video hubs. Disney+ is also playing the copycat by announcing an upcoming feed that will deliver vertical videos in a TikTok-style, infinitely scrolling array.
Disney revealed the new feed during a showcase at CES in Las Vegas. The stated goal of the TikTokesque hub is to increase daily engagement on the Disney+ app. “We’re obviously thinking about integrating vertical video in ways that are native to core user behaviors,” said Disney EVP of Product Management Erin Teague in an interview with Deadline. “So, it won’t be a kind of a disjointed, random experience.”
Disney+ already has a powerful programming library (especially for young kids), and its rising subscriber numbers have become a bright spot in the Mouse House’s quarterly earnings. Even with those gains, the streaming landscape is as competitive as ever, and the ongoing consolidation involving Netflix and Warner Bros. shows that SVOD services must continue evolving to keep up with their rivals.
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For studios like Disney, keeping up means reaching Gen Z and Gen Alpha wherever they are. That’s why Paramount, for example, has held “secret screenings” that are designed to generate buzz among TikTokers.
Disney understands that the infinite short-form feeds are important gathering points for the young consumers of today. Its YouTube Shorts content has helped it crack our Global Top 50 viewership chart.
Netflix has enjoyed that type of YouTube success as well, and it has attempted to shift some of that traffic to its own shores by placing TikTok-style videos on its homepage. After attempting a similar strategy on the ESPN app, Disney is looking to turn its namesake SVOD service into a short-form creator hub.
The vertical video feed is expected to arrive on Disney+ later this year. In the meantime, before all those Bluey shorts hit the service, Disney+ subscribers will have to make do with the full-length viewing experience.
