Today, Disney has rolled out a brand new feature onto Disney+ in the United States called “continuous playlists”, and the first two to launch are ABC News Live and another for preschoolers, which all Disney+ subscribers can now access.

These two “continuous playlists” are very similar to a traditional channel, in that its constantly rolling and offers viewers a more leaned back experience, where they can just watch what is presented to them.

You’ll find both of these new “continuous playlists” on the front page of Disney+, both in the top banner, along with it popping up between some of the content rows.

The ABC News Live channel has been introduced ahead of the upcoming 2024 Presidential Election and features live newscasts, breaking news, live events and in-depth special reports.   Disney+ has also added over a dozen ABC News documentaries, offering more of a selection of news content for subscribers.

While the preschool playlist features TV series and shorts available on Disney+, including Sofia the First, The Lion Guard, Puppy Dog Pals, and Minnie’s Bow-Toons.

Later this fall, Disney will add four additional curated playlists, which will only be available to Premium subscribers (aka those without ads)

• Seasonal Content – a collection of seasonal-themed content from across the Disney+ catalog
• Epic Stories – a compilation of action-packed stories from marquee brands and franchises, including Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars
• Throwbacks – a destination for nostalgic pop culture content
• Real Life – a lineup of traditional documentaries, biopics, and true stories

Roger’s Take:  It’s certainly a good start for Disney+ to start getting some different types of features, and I certainly think including an ABC News Live channel is a great step in offering more choices.  However, a single Disney Jr “playlist” feels a bit pathetic.  This is a feature they could have really made a big splash with, offering dozens of different playlists for different franchises, channels and genres, but it all feels very half-hearted.  Adding some “continuous playlists”, or as most people are going to call them, “channels”, is a great idea and will no doubt help improve engagement within the app, but the lineup just feels so lacklustre.  It’s also frustrating that this feature is currently only available to US subscribers.

What do you think about Disney’s new “continuous playlists” feature?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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