At CES 2026, Disney has revealed a new plan to try and pull mobile-first viewers' attention away from social video on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels: the House of Mouse plans to bring its own "microcontent" directly to Disney+.
These plans were announced during Disney's advertising-focused Tech + Data Showcase on Wednesday, Jan. 7 (as reported by Variety), and come after the entertainment company began experimenting with "Verts" (short-form vertical video content) on its new ESPN streaming app.
The ESPN vertical package effectively created tailored sports highlight packages, but the aim here is to make Disney+ a "daily destination" for users looking for updates across their interests.
What will Disney+'s 'microcontent' look like?
"Over time, we'll evolve these experiences as we explore applications for a variety of formats, categories, and content types for a dynamic feed of just what you're interested in.
Erin Teague, EVP of Product Management for Disney Entertainment and ESPN
At the time of writing, it's not entirely clear what form Disney's plans will take, though, judging by what Erin Teague, EVP of Product Management for Disney Entertainment and ESPN, said at the presentation, we should brace for experimentation.
"Over the next year, we're introducing vertical video experiences on Disney Plus, think all of the short-form Disney content you want, all in one unified app.
"Over time, we'll evolve these experiences as we explore applications for a variety of formats, categories, and content types for a dynamic feed of just what you're interested in, from sports, news, and entertainment, refreshed in real time based on your last visit," Teague added. (quotes via THR).
With Teague previously stating "everything's on the table" (via Deadline) for Disney's vertical video plans, this new wave of content could include repurposed scenes and franchise highlights from Disney+ originals or even bite-sized original programming designed specifically for the social video audience.
This news comes about a month after Disney signed a major deal with OpenAI, making a $1 billion equity investment in the company and signing a three-year character licensing agreement to bring its many IPs to Sora, the company's AI-powered video generation platform. And, following that deal and this push towards meeting viewers where they are, we may well see user-prompted content from this partnership eventually make its way to the platform, too.
If all that Disney+ chat has you looking for something new to watch, be sure to check out our round-ups of the best movies on Disney+ or the best Disney+ shows for tons of top streaming suggestions worth adding to your watchlist.
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