An internal Disney presentation reveals its top streaming priorities, from creator content to a free tier

• Disney tech execs unveiled a list of streaming priorities for the year ahead in a town hall.
• The Mouse House is planning to add creator content to Disney+ and is working on a free offering.
• A leaked presentation gives a clear view into CEO Josh D’Amaro’s streaming vision.

Disney has plans to make big changes to its namesake streamer, Business Insider has learned.

Disney+’s priorities for the next year include uploading more vertical video clips, adding creator content, and working on a free tier, according to screenshots of an internal presentation viewed by Business Insider.

Tech leaders told employees how they’re planning to boost engagement on Disney+ in a town hall late last week. In the meeting, execs, including VP of product management Dave Lindsay, unveiled Disney’s streaming strategy and priorities for the 2027 fiscal year, which began in October. In the town hall, some tech employees also pressed management for details on a possible next round of layoffs.

The leaked slide deck gives one of the clearest views yet into CEO Josh D’Amaro’s plan to have Disney+ be the “digital centerpiece” of the company, while making its flagship service more competitive with paid streamers, YouTube, and social media. According to Nielsen, Disney’s streamers accounted for 4.8% of US TV viewership in August — well behind YouTube at 15.8% and Netflix at 7.7%, but more than twice the share of rivals Paramount+ and Peacock.

Here’s what’s in the works for Disney+ in the next year, according to the presentation:

• Ramping up to adding 500 new vertical clips per day, and introducing creator content in early 2027

• A free tier with always-on FAST channels and content sampling
• 4K livestreaming for the Super Bowl

Inside Disney’s streaming priorities

The Mouse House plans to ramp up to adding 500 vertical clips per day on its streamer by the end of next quarter, which concludes in early April. The effort is starting this quarter with a goal of about 150 clips a day, the slide deck said.

Disney is planning to add “new content types every quarter,” the presentation said. These include clips of sports, news, and short-form “micro series” (including micro dramas). It’s aiming to integrate creator content starting next quarter, the presentation said. The company announced a deal with TikTok in early August that would put a curated feed of user-generated content on its streamer.

Disney’s forthcoming free offering, which Business Insider first reported on in July, was referenced several times in the streaming presentation. The deck mentioned a “Free Plan” and “the free experience,” which it said would include “FAST channel creation” and “content sampling.”

FAST channels are free, always-on streaming feeds — supported by advertising — popularized by services like Pluto TV and The Roku Channel. Disney+ already has a few always-on channels for paid subscribers, including ones for Disney princesses and Pixar films. Viewers join in the middle of a show or movie instead of starting on-demand from the beginning.

As for “sampling,” Disney has discussed making some Disney+ content available without a subscription, Business Insider previously reported.

Disney+ will livestream the Super Bowl in the US for the first time in mid-February, which the presentation called a major “tentpole” moment. Peacock, Paramount+, and Tubi have streamed Super Bowl coverage from NBC, CBS, and Fox, respectively.

The company’s livestreaming priorities include “live 4K HDR, lower latency, scale, live event monitoring and live content security” to deliver the Big Game to millions of viewers in high-quality, lag-free picture, while protecting against piracy.

Disney+ and Hulu are joining forces

Disney is still working toward merging Hulu with Disney+, as part of a multi-phased plan known internally as “Project Gemini.” The yearslong project of adding Hulu’s content and features to Disney+ will “deepen engagement” and “increase lifetime fan value,” D’Amaro said in August.

While the presentation didn’t give a target date for the complete Hulu integration, its road map said “One App Milestones” are scheduled through Disney’s fiscal fourth quarter, which runs from early July to early October. It’s unclear what those milestones are, or what finishing them would mean. (Project Gemini had been scheduled to conclude by the end of 2026, Business Insider reported in May.)

Putting Hulu and Disney+ under one roof is part of Disney’s plan to build a super app, where users can play games and buy merchandise without leaving the streamer. The company hopes that an interactive experience will increase time spent and make customers less likely to cancel, D’Amaro told employees in August, while shopping features could drive revenue to other parts of its business.

D’Amaro told employees in August that Disney planned to “introduce elements of this expanded ecosystem” in the spring.

Read the original article on Business Insider