Disney+ is launching vertical movies this 12 months

Disney+ will add vertical movies to its service within the US someday this 12 months, in hopes that they will entice viewers to interact with its app day by day. The corporate has made the announcement at its Tech + Knowledge Showcase occasion at CES 2026. Disney first dabbled in vertical content material with Verts, which launched for the ESPN app in August 2025, giving it the perception it wanted on how its customers reply to the video format.

Erin Teague, Disney Leisure’s EVP of Product Administration, informed Deadline that the corporate will use the format for every kind of content material. The service isn’t simply planning to make use of it as a car for film and sequence teasers, but additionally for authentic short-form programming. She didn’t say what sorts of authentic programming Disney+ will likely be including as vertical movies to its app, however vertical micro-dramas have turn into extremely in style over the previous 12 months.

“We’re clearly interested by integrating vertical video in methods which might be native to core person behaviors,” Teague mentioned. “So, it gained’t be a form of a disjointed, random expertise.” The corporate is concentrating on Gen Z and Gen Alpha customers, particularly, since they’re not inclined to sit down and watch long-form content material on their telephones for hours. Disney mentioned in an announcement that the expertise will “evolve because it expands throughout information and leisure” and will likely be personalised for customers, with making the service “a must-visit every day vacation spot” as its aim. In any case, if a person is already within the app, they’re extra prone to discover and watch the service’s programming.