CES: Disney leans in to commerce while Netflix sees ad tier growth

15 Jan 2024

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last week, Disney and Netflix both unveiled new information about their ad tiers.

Disney announced its first native streaming shoppable ad format, called Gateway Shop, which has launched in limited beta with brands including Unilever. Through Gateway Shop, consumers can access personalised offers from retailers within the viewing environment.

The company said it has designed the technology around the “natural behaviour of streaming audiences”, who often watch programmes with another screen in hand, be it a phone or laptop.

Disney is currently developing the capacity for viewers to send products they see on streaming to their second screen to continue the shopping experience via a new feature called Shop the Stream.

Amy Lehman, Disney’s senior vice-president of ad platforms, described Gateway Shop as a “prime example of the holistic approach we take to building viewer-first ad experiences and formats. Audience behaviours have changed — and advertising should reflect that and serve both viewers and marketers in new ways.”

Analysis: Extending TV’s value proposition
Disney global advertising president Rita Ferro had hinted at the company’s intended expansion into shoppable TV at the Future of TV Advertising Global event in London in December.

“We’re spending a lot of time now around gamification, shopification, [and] how social gets integrated into the broader user experience,” she said.

The emergence of TV commerce (also known as T-commerce) is to be expected as entertainment companies lean in to the capabilities offered by digital environments.