As Disney+ looks to continue to drive engagement among its subscribers, Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden teased that the platform is working on interactivity features aimed at boosting engagement with kids.
“Looking holistically at that kids audience, we know we have the stories that they love. We’re working on the technology that will allow them to engage with them in the way they want,” Walden told an investor conference hosted by Morgan Stanley on Tuesday, though she declined to elaborate further.
In September, Disney+ notably launched Streams, a group of themed, live channels that offer programming 24/7. Its ABC News and kids-focused Disney+ Playtime channels have driven over 10 million streaming hours from subscribers in the U.S. and showed “early signs of overall engagement lift” amongst subscribers who watched them, the company previously revealed.
“Disney+ Playtime has been very successful because, of course, parents don’t have to keep selecting another show,” Walden said. “They can watch ‘Bluey’ or all of our programming and that is helping us to introduce this young audience to multiple franchises.”
“Bluey” notably drove 60 billion minutes of engagement on Disney+ and was the most streamed show of 2024.
“Along with ‘Bluey,’ there’s ‘Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,’ ‘Spidey and His Amazing Friends,’ Ariel and all of the amazing characters and stories from the Disney canon that are constantly being reinvented and refreshed for our youngest possible fans,” she said. “A connection when kids are very young is meaningful to affinity for our brand for the rest of their lives.”
In addition to its content on Disney+, Walden said that thousands of videos based on its series are being produced for YouTube and that Disney Jr. has around 22 million subscribers.
“We do that because we know that’s where kids like to consume content, along with Disney+,” the Disney executive said. “We want to keep them engaged. We want to keep incubating IP on a platform that’s important to creators and kids.”
She added that creating new programming and features aimed at kids and making technological improvements across Disney Entertainment and ESPN remain top priorities in 2025 and beyond.
This fall, ESPN will launch its “flagship” streaming service, which will package the network’s sports programming with fantasy sports integrations, enhanced statistics, betting features and e-commerce.
“When flagship launches, and through having content for subscribers on Disney+ to engage with, we’ll have the opportunity to entice and convince subscribers to upgrade into the trio [bundle] that will then include flagship,” Walden said. “We think that will truly unlock the power of this portfolio of content across every genre, and that’s all going to be enabled through technology.”
