Josh D’Amaro’s vision for a Disney+ super app is taking shape — but comes with clear risks

Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro's dream of building a streaming "super app" is coming into focus, but large questions stay astir whether it tin juice gross and engagement.

"Disney+ will proceed to evolve, bringing together games, merchandise, and different experiences, while offering accrued personalization, exclusivity, and benefits for subscribers," D'Amaro told employees successful a post-earnings memo past week, first reported connected by Business Insider.

The supercharged Disney+ would "deepen engagement, amended the worth proposition, little churn, and — astir importantly — summation life instrumentality value," D'Amaro said to staffers. The memo said these updates could travel starting adjacent spring.

Some media analysts are skeptical that fans are eager to play games aliases bargain merch successful betwixt streaming shows and movies.

"When you person a 'super app,' you upwind up pinch a full batch of mediocrity," said Alan Wolk, a media manufacture expert astatine TVREV.

Folding games and shopping into Disney+ could create a confusing and annoying experience, Wolk said.

However, if executed properly, a much broad Disney+ app could thrust higher gross while increasing engagement and loyalty.

Hernan Lopez, laminitis of the media consulting patient Owl & Co., said that upselling experiences done Disney+ would thief D'Amaro's institution make much money from its astir passionate fans.

"The imaginable gross of a azygous time of a taxable parkland sojourn tin beryllium higher than a year's worthy of a Disney+ subscription," Lopez said.

Selling tickets to parks and cruises is enticing for Disney since its Experiences business drives the bulk of its profits. However, a "meaningful uptick" successful income of parkland tickets aliases merch sounds "aspirational," said John Conca, a media expert astatine investigation patient Third Bridge.

"Any benefits from having a 'super app' are incremental alternatively than transformational," Conca said.

D'Amaro needs Disney's streaming business to beryllium transformative to thief jump-start the company's stagnant stock. Disney shares are down 8% successful the past 12 months, and are up 10% successful the past 10 years, while the S&P 500 has much than tripled.

Building a 'showcase for the full Disney universe'

Disney has been looking for ways to jumpstart viewership connected its namesake streamer. Disney+ is absorbing Hulu's contented and features and added a short-form video feed earlier this year. Soon, Disney+ will adhd a curated provender of Disney-themed TikToks.

Disney's streamers had a 4.9% viewership stock connected US TVs successful May, up somewhat from 4.7% astatine the extremity of 2025, according to Nielsen. YouTube has grown its stock from 12.7% to 13.8% successful that aforesaid span, arsenic consumers clasp free services.

Disney is "exploring a free product for consumers," D'Amaro said past week.

For Disney+ to meaningfully turn engagement, it "should beryllium acold much than a streaming service," said Paolo Pescatore, a media expert astatine PP Foresight.

"Disney+ should beryllium the masterpiece and showcase for the full Disney universe," Pescatore said, adding that it should grow its offering from movies, TV, and sports to games, creator content, merch, and tickets to parks and cruises.

Adding e-commerce features to Disney+ tin thief the Mouse House amended understand its fans, including what they for illustration to interact pinch and buy, Pescatore said.

While a well-executed ace app could thief Disney make much money from its fans, Forrester expert Mike Proulx said Disney must debar turning its beloved streamer into "a integer shopping mall."

"Disney is chasing engagement, frequency, and advertisement inventory, but there's a consequence to its customer acquisition if Disney+ becomes excessively cluttered," Proulx said.

Games could thrust engagement, but whitethorn not beryllium 'transformational'

Interactive contented for illustration games could besides thief Disney+ turn gross by keeping fans from getting saturated and canceling, Lopez said.

"Services request to springiness group much reasons to unfastened them regularly, alternatively than simply turning up erstwhile a awesome movie aliases bid lands," Pescatore said.

Movies and TV shows are costly to produce, truthful Disney+ could usage cheaper ways to support fans engaged betwixt seasons of "Dancing pinch the Stars" and aft hits for illustration "The Bear" end.

"Disney is hoping to little churn by filling those gaps pinch much reasons to engage," Proulx said.

That could beryllium an uphill battle, though. Games don't look to beryllium moving the needle overmuch for Netflix, moreover after years of investment.

"Netflix is impervious that it will return important clip earlier that becomes immoderate benignant of engagement driver," Conca said.