Disney's Evolving Streaming Strategy: Verts, International Originals, and Sports

At D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, much of the attention naturally falls on the big announcements, first looks and stars that appear at the Honda Center showcases. But Disney also took some time to share the future of their streaming strategy. While most of this information was shared by Josh D'Amaro during the recent earnings call, this was a chance for his leadership team to go more in-depth about what they have planned over the next few months, including creator content, more international originals, and increased sports presence. 

Perhaps the clearest example of Disney adapting to changing viewing habits is Verts, the company’s vertical-video experience that has made its way to both the ESPN App and Disney+. The format has already become a significant part of the ESPN experience. Since launching in August 2025, Verts has become the primary driver of short-form video consumption on the ESPN App, attracting more than 24 million total users and generating more than 1.5 billion minutes of viewing.

Disney+ followed with its own implementation of Verts in March, and Disney says approximately 40% of the service’s mobile users have already interacted with the feature. The company has also seen increases in average minutes per visitor, clips viewed per session and watchlist interactions among users engaging with Verts.

For Erin Teague, EVP of Product, Disney Entertainment & ESPN, the growth of short-form content doesn't mean Disney sees it as a replacement for the movies, series and sporting events at the heart of its platforms. Instead, it can supplement those experiences and give fans another way to engage with the things they already love.

“There will never be a replacement for that long-form original content but what is interesting is the way that it is now being supplemented by the shorter-form analysis, the clips,” Teague said. “Similarly, there's no replacement for the live game. But the additional commentary and analysis around the game is just as interesting. And so the ways that we can merge those experiences to give people exactly what they want, when they want it in a split second, I think, is the challenge.”

That last point may be particularly important to understanding Disney's broader streaming ambitions. Verts isn't simply about putting TikTok-style videos inside Disney+. The company is exploring how the format could eventually encompass creator communities, original storytelling, microcontent, podcasts and other experiences that don't fit neatly into the traditional definition of a streaming service. Disney’s recent partnership with TikTok is just one of the many types of content that is expected to live within the Verts experience.

While Disney is experimenting with new formats, it is also significantly increasing the amount of content it produces specifically for audiences around the world. Local originals have become an important part of Disney's international streaming strategy, and the company plans to roughly triple the number of local original series available on Disney+ over the next three years.

Rather than approaching international programming primarily by determining which American productions can travel overseas, Disney is increasingly starting with the local audience. The goal is to work with storytellers who understand a particular market and can create programming reflecting its culture and sensibilities. Disney has seen recent success with titles such as Rivals and A Shop for Killers, which has given the company confidence to increase their investment with the goal of improving the global appeal of the service.

“What we're really looking to do is tell stories for local audiences and be hyper-local,” said Eric Schrier, President, DTC International Originals, Strategic Programming & Emerging Media. “And we're going to be increasing that significantly to have local audiences have something that expresses their culture and their sensibility. And what's happened organically out of that local for local strategy is that those stories are now traveling back to other parts of the world.”

Finally, Disney is leaning into having the worldwide leader in sports as part of the family and is increasingly bringing together ESPN's authority in sports with the enormous reach of Disney+, particularly as it expands ESPN's direct-to-consumer business and looks for opportunities to introduce sports programming to viewers who may not otherwise open a dedicated sports app.

That strategy is already much further along internationally. “ESPN on Disney+ launched in Latin America about two years ago, and in Australia shortly thereafter, and recently, we launched in EMEA, as well as select markets in APAC,” said Freddy Rolón, Head of Global Sports & Talent Office, ESPN. “And we love that because it really does bring a new audience and an extension of our existing reach.”

The integration will continue to expand, with more sports and ESPN-branded programming coming into Disney's broader streaming ecosystem. Formula E will join Disney+ and ESPN+ beginning in December, while U.S. Disney+ subscribers will also see select college football games and College GameDay simulcasts.

But simply putting more games on Disney+ is only one part of the strategy. ESPN is also investing in ways to make watching sports more personalized and interactive through products such as SportsCenter For You, StreamCenter and Multiview. Those features point toward a sports experience increasingly tailored to individual fans. Rather than every viewer receiving essentially the same ESPN experience, personalization can surface the teams, leagues, highlights and analysis most relevant to them, while interactive features can give viewers more control over how they consume a live event.

Taken together, the three strategies discussed offered an interesting glimpse at where Disney believes streaming is heading. Vertical video can keep fans engaged between longer viewing sessions, locally produced originals can make Disney+ more relevant around the world, and ESPN can introduce live sports to audiences across the broader Disney ecosystem.

The common thread is that Disney doesn't appear to be thinking about Disney+ simply as the digital equivalent of a television network or movie library anymore. As the company continues expanding the service, it increasingly has the potential to become the front door to a much broader collection of Disney experiences.

For fans, that could mean opening Disney+ to watch a new Marvel series, scrolling through a few Verts afterward, discovering a locally produced series from another part of the world and then finding a live sporting event without ever leaving the service.

While further evolutions of Disney’s streaming strategy are expected as it evolves into a membership program that is the gateway to all Disney connections, these strategies are laying the groundwork for the ultimate goal. By providing more types of Disney content across the globe, the hope is that Disney+ will be an engaging experience that you will want to check into every day to see what is happening across Disney’s worlds. While not as epic as the return of Figment or a new Tomorrowland, it is just as important as streaming grows in importance to Disney’s business. Hopefully, their strategies will engage fans in the future as much as the parks do today.