Disney+, Hulu Roll Out Interactive Ad Formats Including Quizzes, ‘Advergames’
Disney+, Hulu Roll Out Interactive Ad Formats Including Quizzes, ‘Advergames’
New ad formats will help Disney+ boost revenues from its streaming service even higher.
On-demand streaming offers viewers a way to consume video using features they never had watching linear TV. It also gives providers ways to reach customers with ads using methods they’ve never used before, and now Disney is getting in on that evolution by introducing new advertising formats on its streaming services. Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ subscribers will soon find the new interactive ads on their interface, if they haven’t noticed them already, as Disney tries to boost engagement —and by extension, revenues — on its on-demand platforms.
Key Details:
- Disney is rolling out shoppable ads, as well as advergames on its streaming services.
- The goal is to make ads “impactful” for Disney streaming customers, according to executives.
- Amazon, Roku, and Fubo are among other companies that have launched interactive ads in recent months.
The two new ad formats Disney is pushing onto its streaming services now are shoppable ads and advergames. The shoppable ads are likely familiar to streaming viewers by now; they allow audiences to scan a QR code and be taken instantly to that product’s website.
Disney’s new advergames take customer engagement to another level. Disney streamers will offer two advergames initially: Quiz Show and Beat the Block. Quiz Show is a straightforward question-and-answer game, while Beat the Block takes users into a themed game based on whichever product or service is using the ad.
“It is our goal to push the limits of what is possible while making the ad experience as impactful as possible for our users,” Disney SVP of addressable sales Jamie Power said. “With these products, we are pairing the interactivity of streaming with the premium nature of TV.”
A 2023 survey found that 70% of viewers who clicked on an interactive ad while using a streaming service eventually bought the product they saw advertised. These ad formats can be a powerful tool for providers, and one such as Disney who wants its streamers to show a regular profit by the end of the year will make use of any ad formats available to accomplish that goal.
Which Other Streamers Are Using Interactive Ads?
The interactive advertisement format is likely on its way to all streaming services that don’t use it already. But there have been some notable adopters of interactive ads in recent months, starting with Roku, which rolled out shoppable ads that allowed customers to browse for and purchase products all with their remotes in July 2023.
Prime Video has one of the newest ad-supported tiers in streaming, but it wasted little time in bringing shoppable ads to its platform. In early May, Prime Video introduced pause ads that brought up a product viewers could click on and shop for, further marrying the streaming service with Amazon’s vast e-commerce platform.
It’s not just on-demand streaming services getting in on the shoppable action, either. The live TV streamer Fubo also began experimenting with pause ads and shoppable opportunities for customers in May, hoping to continue boosting revenues and try to stay on track to achieve profitability by 2025.
Disney itself has tinkered with other ad formats, creating and testing its “Gateway Shop” program in January, which sent ads directly to a viewer’s phone or email while they streamed so as not to interrupt their watching session. It’s not clear if the new shoppable and interactive ads on Disney streamers are meant to replace the Gateway Shop initiative, or if that will return alongside the new ads.
The quest for profitability is causing streamers to leave no stone unturned as they hunt for ways to enhance revenues. The shoppable ad can be a meaningful driver of engagement, and viewers should expect to see them spread to other streamers in the very near future.
Disney+
Disney+ is a video streaming service with over 13,000 series and films from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, The Muppets, and more. It is available in 61 countries and 21 languages. It is notable for its popular original series like “The Mandalorian,” “Ms. Marvel,” “Loki,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and “Andor.”