The TikTokification of Disney+ begins this week with a new streaming launch that will offer subscribers a whole new way to discover stories – and it’s only the beginning.
Disney+ is launching a vertical video feature this week, aptly titled “Verts,” that will give people with short-form content to swipe through and engage with, similar to the experience provided by TikTok or Instagram Reels. The new in-app, mobile-first content discovery tool is designed to help users find their next favorite watch from the platform’s extensive streaming library, but the company teases that this is “just the start of what will be an ongoing evolution,” and that it could eventually expand to include “content from creators that reflects our fandoms, plus other storytelling formats, content types, and personalized experiences.”
For now, though, there won’t be any lip-syncing and dancing videos or how-to tutorials and life hack tips. Instead, Disney+ subscribers will launch Verts via a new icon located in the mobile app’s navigation bar and effortlessly swipe through a vertical video feed powered by an “advanced algorithm” that will present scenes and moments from movies and series tailored to the interests of each individual. While scrolling, users will have the option to add a title to their watchlist or jump directly into the full-length movie or episode, providing a fun, fast way to explore the platform’s content hubs without having to search through traditional menus.
Disney unveiled its plans to introduce a new vertical video section to its streaming service at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, following the successful integration of Verts on the ESPN app in August. The company intends to offer a more personalized user experience and reinforce Disney+ as a must-visit daily destination for entertainment, so it has wasted no time in rolling the feature out further, with US subscribers gaining access to the dynamic feed this week ahead of a planned global expansion.
The launch of Verts on Disney+ comes hot on the heels of Disney’s landmark partnership with OpenAI, which includes a $1 billion investment to integrate its intellectual property into AI-driven content creation. The basic idea being that fans will be able to use OpenAI’s Sora tool to create and share videos featuring licensed characters from the House of Mouse (call it interactive fan fiction). The user-generated videos could eventually be featured on Disney+ as part of its new vertical video feed, further tapping into the massive growth of short-form content and aiming to boost subscriber engagement as the streaming wars rage on.
