Disney+ is getting short-form portrait-format videos

Portrait-format videos are to be integrated into Disney+ over the course of the year. With this, Disney wants to score points with Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

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Jan 8, 2026 at 9:27 am CET

2 min. read

By

Daniel Herbig

With short-form vertical videos, Disney wants to win over younger generations for its streaming service Disney+. The portrait-format videos, which are conceptually reminiscent of similar formats from TikTok or YouTube Shorts, are to be integrated into Disney+ over the course of the year.

Disney announced this at a conference primarily aimed at advertisers as part of CES 2026. Disney wants to experiment with different categories and content types to create a personal and dynamic feed of portrait-format videos for users, industry magazine Deadline quotes from a company statement. Both news and entertainment content are planned. The goal is to establish Disney+ as a platform that users visit daily.

Disney already has experience with portrait-format videos in the ESPN app: Disney's sports service already offers such “Verts” to increase fan engagement. Disney executive Erin Teague told Deadline that various content formats are conceivable for Disney+, from simple cuts of striking scenes from series and films to specially produced videos.

“Snackable and bite-sized”

“Vertical videos are excellent as a daily habit – snackable, short, and in bite-sized portions,” Teague told Deadline. Gen Z and Gen Alpha are particularly in their sights: “They don't necessarily want to sit down and watch two-and-a-half-hour long-form content on their smartphone.”

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It is still unclear when and in which markets Disney will integrate the portrait-format videos into Disney+. The platforms on which the videos will be displayed are also still open. Mobile is obvious, but competitor YouTube now also prominently displays Shorts in its TV app.

heise online is a media partner of CES 2026