Disney Plus, Netflix, HBO Max and Paramount Plus now have swipeable clip feeds, but the companies have not shown that the feeds keep people subscribed.
Open Disney Plus, Netflix, HBO Max or Paramount Plus on your phone and you may now find a feed of short vertical videos you can swipe through, much like TikTok. Over the past year, all four have added one. The goal is to give you another reason to open the app and keep paying. So far, none has shown that it works.
Each service built its own version. Disney Plus launched Verts in March. Paramount Plus added a clips feed in April. HBO Max began testing Shorts with select US iPhone users in July. Netflix made Clips a centerpiece of its mobile redesign. Viewers can swipe through scenes, save titles, or jump straight into a movie or show.
The rival is YouTube. Nielsen says YouTube made up a record 15.8 percent of US TV viewing in August. Skydance CEO David Ellison said Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery combined still trail YouTube in US TV watch time. Skydance bought Warner Bros. Discovery in October. Ellison called a short-video feed "critical to our future."
Disney did not say whether Verts leads to more watching or longer subscriptions. Netflix has not said whether Clips gets people to watch more. HBO Max and Paramount gave no usage figures for their feeds. Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters pointed to lower cancellation rates as a sign of healthy engagement.
Social apps have millions of creators making fresh videos about the same shows. A clip in a streaming app is a pitch for the full episode. On TikTok or YouTube, a creator's reaction can be the whole visit. Disney is piloting clips from TikTok creators who opt in. Paramount was exploring user-made video for a possible free tier. Analyst Ross Benes of eMarketer is doubtful about big success, and notes phone ads usually earn less than TV ads.
Netflix plans themed Clips feeds in 2027. A Disney roadmap reviewed by Business Insider targets early 2027 for creator content, sports and news clips, and short series. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said short video is an early experiment, and that its core business is about 95 percent of spending.
Expect more clip feeds in streaming apps, but the real test is whether they make you watch more or keep paying, and that is unproven.
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