Disney+ to create a vertical video feed in its app to encourage daily use

Disney+ is preparing for the arrival of vertical videos in its application. Their aim is to increase daily usage and catch up with social and video platforms that have established the scroll reflex. The announcement was made at Disney’s Tech + Data Showcase at CES in Las Vegas. It is part of a series of new advertising and data-oriented products.

A logic already tested with ESPN

Disney has already rolled out vertical videos on their ESPN sports application, with the launch of ‘Green’ formats in summer 2025.

Disney isn’t talking about teasers to push people towards series or films, the vertical is seen as an additional layer of experience to transform Disney+ into a daily destination like we can do with TikTok or Instagram.

What type of content?

Erin Teague, EVP Product Management Disney Entertainment & ESPN, is deliberately broad. Short original formats, recycled social extracts, re-edited scenes from long-form content. Integration will be native, not an artificial graft. It has to be part of the experience.

Live action and sport as accelerators

Rita Ferro, head of advertising at Disney, pointed out a key figure. By 2025, ESPN would account for 33% of all live sports viewing. Far ahead of its competitors. Sport remains the number one cultural driver for generating massive attention. And the vertical is an ideal format for extracting moments, reactions and highlights.

On the advertiser side, Disney is also pushing ahead with its new Brand Impact Metric to better link exposure, image and performance using its first-party data and third-party measurements.

Disney+ is aiming to become a daily fixture and recapture the time spent on scrolling.