How Disney+ Approaches The Year 2026

2026 promises to be a crucial year for subscription streaming. Between the prospect of a Netflix and HBO Max coalition, a new distribution window (9 months) in France as well as greater investments in local creation, Disney+ is at a turning point. During this year, the company hopes to consolidate its user base, creating an event around its most important releases. We met David Popineau, Lead Disney+ in France to talk about the platform’s prospects as well as the challenges that await it. Between the arrival of AI and the exploration of new formats, what does the third paid platform have in store for its customers?

Take advantage of artificial intelligence

The year 2026 will be marked by numerous attempts in the technological field. With its new partnership with OpenAI, Disney hopes to take advantage of the perspectives offered by artificial intelligence to broaden the user experience. Thanks to Sora, many characters will soon be able to come to life and evolve according to the desires of the public. This partnership was announced on December 11, Sam Altman’s company got its hands on more than 200 emblematic characters from the firm’s catalog. For three years, Sora will be able to explore the image of Mickey, Luke Skywalker or even Thor. This investment, valued at one billion dollars in the form of shares, must redefine the presence of emblematic licenses in the cultural sector.

For David Popineau, the idea is to seize these technologies to maintain control. “I think it’s a great demonstration that Disney embraces innovation, embraces the subject of generative AI with everything that will be put in place so that we can respect the creators and their works. We must ensure that everything is well respected, done according to the rules of the art.” Popineau adds that if he is not in the secret of Disney Global’s strategy, the firm wants to do so while respecting its characters and its intellectual properties..

“As it was embraced and not suffered, it allows us to put on the table everything that is important to us.” As recently as last May, Fortnite and Llama Productions came under heavy criticism after the May the 4th and the creation of an AI-powered Darth Vader avatar. The character used the cloned voice of James Earl Jones to interact with players. Quickly, users made fun of the character by making him utter insults. Disney and Disney+ hope to take the bull by the horns and avoid such disappointments. The fact remains that the public is particularly reluctant regarding these new technologies. Disney+ will have to reassure them.

Adapting to new uses

Another aspect that Disney+ will launch into in 2026: vertical formats. At CES 2026, Disney+ announced the upcoming arrival of a section dedicated to entertainment short and vertical in its application. The goal is to offer users an opportunity to go to Disney+ to occupy short periods of time. In transport, before an appointment, Disney+ wants to replace platforms like TikTok or Instagram to increase the average usage time of its customers. At a time when streaming platforms are competing for attention time with tech giants like Meta, YouTube and ByteDance, Mickey sees this as an opportunity to stand out from the crowd.

Here, however, it will not be a question of creating a social network, but of offering short extracts from series or films as well as notable moments of sports competitions. In the latter case, ESPN’s expertise will make it possible to deliver express and editorial content.

“The idea is to have a dynamic feed that updates in real time so that, when you come back several times during the day, you can have different content.”

For the moment, the idea is not to focus purely on creation and to reinvent fiction in a new format. While many content creators are trying their hand at vertical series, on Instagram or TikTok, Disney+ prefers to rely on what it already has in its stocks to entertain. “We will start with existing content and, depending on success, we will not hold anything back”. However, this is not the first time that a platform has embarked on such a project. Netflix had already tried the experiment with its section “For a laugh”.

The approach was quite similar to that of Disney+ and the division was abandoned a few years later to make room for other innovations. Disney+ still believes in it. “I can’t comment on Netflix’s strategy, maybe it was a little early. We probably need to be broader and that’s how we’re going to approach it.” The AI-powered formats created by Sora should hold a good place there.

Intensifying competition

Disney+ will also have to closely monitor an issue which does not directly concern it, but which could shake up the SVoD sector. Last December, Netflix announced its intention to Buy Warner Bros. and HBO Max to strengthen its position. If the transaction experiences some turmoil, an alliance of the two entities would upset the established order. Netflix, leader in the sector, would seize the world number 4 and could thus far outpace its competitors. At the same time, the arrival of a studio that is essential for the global box office offers Red N a prime position in theaters around the world. To put it simply, Netflix would finally be on an equal footing with Disney+ which has some of the most lucrative licenses in the world. Star Wars, Marvel or even Disney Animation facing Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or even DC, Netflix would enter the big leagues in Hollywood.

David Popineau admits to following the file closely. “Afterwards, we are focused on our strategy and we are calm about the strategy that we deploy in France and around the world. All competition is healthy, we watch, we follow, we read the news. And then they are only at the beginning. So let’s see what it will be like”. No adjustments on the horizon, Disney+ is waiting to see what the regulators have said and how things will unfold. It must be said that, in the field of exploitation of films released in theaters, Mickey has a considerable advantage. In January 2025, Disney+ signed an agreement with cinema and television organizations in France to grant itself the right to broadcast its in-house productions and purchases 9 months after their cinema release.

“For now, we’re super happy with the first signals, the reactions we’re seeing from the public, whether in terms of acquisition or retention. For now, it’s super early to tell you if we’d like more or less. We like the philosophy. What we want is to offer the best of what people want to have”.

The next discussions are due to take place in 2027 and Disney+ believes that it is still too early to assess the success or otherwise of this agreement. This is already what the firm was saying in 2025, shortly before pulling off the coup of the year and beating Netflix to the post while attracting the wrath of its former partner Canal+. In any case, the time is no longer for standoff as may have been the case in 2022, a few weeks before the release of Black Panther 2.

Disney+ is therefore starting the year 2026 with a bang, with a guaranteed third place and big projects. According to David Popineau, the massive flight of users after the end of the contract with Canal+ did not take place, it was stemmed thanks to the 2 euro promotion which is coming to an end for some of the users. The hardest part is done, all that remains is to offer unmissable series to continue to be relevant at an hour. The program promises to be busy.