Disney+ Considering Adding Gaming & Shopping Experiences In Ads
As the streaming wars continue to force platforms like Disney+ to improve and offer new, unique ways to obtain new subscribers and reduce churn.
Recently, Rita Ferro, president of Disney Advertising Sales, spoke with Variety about Disney’s plans for advertising in the future and she revealed that they are mulling the launch of shopping and gaming experiences on Disney+. This would include the gamification of the ad experience, and commerce interactivity within the ad experience , such as interactive elements and quizzes, and adding QR codes to link to websites.
“The world of advertising experiences on AVOD is an important place to be involved in,”
She also revealed that they will reveal “what the next level of ad innovations will be” from the company at the CES conference in Las Vegas in January 2024.
Disney has recently launched its “Disney+ Perks” promotion, which includes discounts and offers for various products, including merchandise and Walmart+. It’s also been offering special early access to select products at ShopDisney for Disney+ subscribers for a while.
Over the past year since the introduction of the ad-supported tier in the US, the platform has continued to grow, from one hundred initial sponsors in the US to now more than a thousand around the world. 50% of new subscribers now take the ad-supported tier.
The ad-supported tier is also growing as last month, Disney+ launched an ad-supported tier in ten new markets, including in Canada, the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, with further international rollouts coming in 2024.
Adding more shopping opportunities within Disney+ would undoubtedly be interesting, such as taking viewers interested in an item straight to the advertiser’s website.
The addition of Hulu on Disney+ is also expected to massively increase engagement within Disney+, with audiences spending more time in the app watching shows like “Only Murders In The Building” and “The Bear”, which has already proven to be a big hit internationally.
Adding gaming to Disney+ would also be a big move, though it wouldn’t be the first time. Netflix currently offers a selection of fifty mobile games included in its subscription service. And long before Disney+ launched, DisneyLife offered books, music, mobile games, along with films and shows, to subscribers in the UK.
Disney already has a number of games available on gaming subscription services like Apple Arcade, which has games like Disney Dreamlight Valley and Disney Melee Mania. Plus there is a wide selection of video games from across multiple platforms on Xbox Game Pass and PS Plus.
Over the past forty years, Disney has been behind an array of different mobile and video games, with partnerships with many different game developers. Many of the most successful games available now, feature Disney characters, like Speedstorm, Disney Magic Kingdoms, Where’s My Water, Contest Of Champions and Fortnite, which would be an appealing bonus to keep subscribers engaged.
Only earlier this year, Disney said it was developing a special version of Disney+ for Apple’s new virtual reality headset, Apple Vision Pro.
It might still be early days, but this does sound very similar to former Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s idea to use Disney+ as their metaverse. Offering more value for money to subscribers will likely become even more important, as people begin to cut down on how many platforms they are subscribed to. With extra perks and benefits, this will help keep users more engaged and more perceived value, plus make additional revenue from advertising.
Ultimately, Disney is looking at how it can use Disney+ to be more engaging for its users and raise more money from advertising. Hopefully, more details on these plans will be revealed in January at CES.
Do you think Disney+ should offer gaming and shopping experiences? Let us know on social media!
Roger Palmer
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