For years, streaming platforms have focused on serving subscribers with blockbuster movies and binge-worthy television shows. But now Disney is experimenting with a different way to keep viewers engaged. The media giant recently announced a partnership with TikTok that will allow carefully selected fan-created videos featuring Disney characters and stories to appear in the Disney+ app alongside the company’s own short videos. The clips will appear in Verts, a vertical video feed introduced earlier this year. Rather than waiting until subscribers know exactly what they want to watch, Disney hopes these short videos will encourage people to open Disney+ more often and spend more time on the app. Fans who participate in the program will have access to clips from hundreds of Disney films and television shows to create their videos.

This strategy reflects a growing shift in the entertainment business known as the attention economy. Today, companies are not only competing for customers' subscription fees but also for their time and attention. The more often people open an app and the longer they stay, the more likely they are to continue using the service. Short-form videos have become an important way to capture that attention. According to TikTok, users shared an average of 6.5 million film- and television-related videos each day last year, and nearly half of surveyed viewers said they later watched a movie or television show after first discovering it on TikTok. Instead of viewing TikTok only as a competitor, Disney is using the platform's creator community to help bring viewers back to Disney+.

The partnership also shows how streaming services are beginning to blend features from social media with traditional entertainment. Rather than opening Disney+ to anyone who wants to post videos, Disney will carefully review which creator videos appear on the platform and provide participating creators with licensed access to clips from its films and shows. The companies are also launching a Creator Ambassador Program that offers selected creators greater visibility, exclusive events, and career development opportunities. As streaming companies compete for viewers' attention, keeping audiences engaged between major movie and television releases may become just as important as producing the next hit.

Questions: 

  1. Why is Disney partnering with TikTok to bring user-created videos to Disney+?

  2. Do you think short-form vertical videos will encourage more people to use the Disney+ app? Why or why not?