In a desperate bid to capture the fractured attention spans of the TikTok generation, entertainment giant Disney is overhauling its streaming app to include vertical, short-form video feeds.

The move, announced at the CES tech expo, signals a major shift in how premium content is packaged. No longer content with two-hour movies, Disney+ will now serve up bite-sized clips—trailers, interviews, and "best of" moments—in a scrollable format designed to keep users hooked on the app.

The Engagement War

Streaming services are facing a retention crisis. With subscriber growth stalling, the metric that matters now is "time spent in-app," which drives ad revenue. Vertical video is the undisputed king of engagement.

• The Strategy: Disney isn't trying to be TikTok; it is trying to keep you from leaving for TikTok. By offering "snackable" content, they hope to lead users back to long-form movies and series.
• The Trend: This follows similar moves by YouTube (Shorts) and Instagram (Reels). Even ESPN has launched "Verts" for sports highlights.
• Local Context: For Kenyan content creators and consumers, this reinforces the dominance of the vertical format. Even the biggest Hollywood studios are now bowing to the architecture of the mobile phone screen.

The Verdict

Will it work? Purists argue it dilutes the cinematic experience, but Disney executives are betting that in 2026, if you can't scroll it, you won't watch it.