Disney+ is launching its short-form vertical video product this week, in what the company teases as “the first scene of the first episode in a multi-season series.”
The product, which will adopt the “Verts” moniker already used by ESPN in its own app, will initially launch with vertical video cut from the company’s 100-year entertainment library. But it is teasing potential future additions, including “content from creators that reflects our fandoms, plus other storytelling formats, content types, and personalized experiences.”
In other words, creators who celebrate or highlight the films, series, theme parks or other Disney properties may play a role in that future, as could, perhaps, formats like microdramas or other short-form entertainment fare.
Verts will launch in the navigation bar on mobile devices, letting users easily swipe through scenes or moments from Disney films and shows, just like they would on TikTok or Instagram. Disney says that it has developed an “advanced recommendation algorithm” that will feed users content that it thinks they will find interesting.
The company announced its planned push into vertical video in January at CES, as part of a number of other announcements on features coming to the streaming platform. Disney has already said that it plans to bring some content created by OpenAI’s Sora to Disney+ in a “curated” way, though that deal has not quite kicked off yet, with the companies still working out the execution of it.
However, bringing creator-led content, be it from YouTubers, TikTokers or others, would be another significant expansion, should that come to fruition. There are a number of popular creators who share thoughts and content about Disney characters and IP, so leaning into that fandom makes a certain amount of sense.
