From The Verge · Rani Molla · · 2m
Streaming services chase TikTok with short video feeds
Disney, Netflix, Paramount and HBO Max have added swipeable clips to their apps, but none have proven the strategy keeps people subscribed.
In brief
Disney, Netflix, Paramount and HBO Max have added swipeable clips to their apps, but none have proven the strategy keeps people subscribed. Major streamers are adding short-form video feeds to compete with TikTok and YouTube, but have not disclosed whether these feeds increase subscriptions or viewing time. Originally…
Skydance CEO names the real competition
After acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery in October, David Ellison told staff that Paramount Plus and HBO Max trail YouTube in US television watch time, according to Nielsen.
Short video feeds are the answer
Ellison said a feed of short vertical videos was critical to Paramount's future. Paramount Plus engagement rose more than twenty percent since Skydance acquired it last year.
“critical to our future”
Every major streamer is copying the format
Over the past year, Disney Plus, Paramount Plus, Netflix, and HBO Max introduced swipeable feeds of short videos in their mobile apps to keep subscribers engaged.
YouTube's dominance is the real threat
YouTube accounted for a record fifteen point eight percent of viewing through US TV sets in August, according to Nielsen. It also leads in time spent watching video on phones.
The problem with borrowed content
Streamers have plenty of shows to clip, but they compete with social apps where millions of creators make new reactions daily.
Disney's Verts shows modest early success
About forty three percent of Disney Plus mobile users had interacted with Verts by October. The feed launched in March and lets viewers swipe through scenes or jump into shows.
Disney partners with TikTok for creator content
In August, Disney announced a US pilot with TikTok to bring clips about its movies and shows into Verts.CEO Josh D'Amaro said the deal could make Disney Plus a stickier app where people stay longer.
“stickier app”
Netflix downplays short-form video's role
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos grouped short-form video with early experiments, saying the core entertainment business still accounted for roughly ninety five percent of spending and nearly all revenue.
The money problem with short clips
Ads on phones fetch less than ads on TVs, and short clips have less room for ad breaks than full episodes.
“I just don't see it being like a big success for them”
The real value may be browsing, not revenue
Streamers may end up borrowing something useful from TikTok: a better way to browse. Their business still depends on what people settle in to watch, not what they scroll past.
The one thing
Major streamers are adding short-form video feeds to compete with TikTok and YouTube, but have not disclosed whether these feeds increase subscriptions or viewing time.
