CES 2026: Disney+ to bring Instagram-style short vertical videos to its app

Disney plans to add short-form videos to Disney+ in the US, aiming to boost daily engagement and appeal to younger users who prefer quick, mobile-friendly content

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026, Disney has announced that it will bring short-form vertical video content to the Disney+ app. According to Disney, the short-form video experience on Disney+ will change over time and expand across different types of content, including news and entertainment. The company said the idea is to make the app feel more personalised and dynamic, rather than something users visit only when they want to watch a specific show or film. 

 

As reported by TechCrunch, Disney said that the short videos could take several forms. These may include original short-form content created specifically for the platform, clips repurposed from social media or short scenes taken from existing TV shows and movies. Some videos could also combine elements from different sources. The goal appears to be offering quick, easy-to-watch content that fits into short viewing sessions. 

  The report also mentioned that Disney has indicated that the format will be designed to feel natural inside the app. Erin Teague, EVP of Product Management for Disney Entertainment and ESPN, noted that “We’re obviously thinking about integrating vertical video in ways that are native to core user behaviors.”  The company wants the feature to feel random or disconnected from the rest of the Disney+ experience. Disney is bringing vertical video to Disney+ in the US this year.

 

This move follows a similar step taken by Disney last year, when it introduced a personalised vertical video feed in the ESPN app. That experiment likely helped shape how short-form content could work across Disney’s other platforms. 

 

  Netflix introduced a vertical video feed last year that lets users scroll through short clips from its shows and movies. With Disney+ trying something similar, streaming apps are increasingly using social-media-style features to keep users opening their apps more often, especially on phones.