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Disney Plus focuses on personalized advertising

According to its own figures, 157 million people use the ad-financed version of the Disney streaming service.

(Bild: Disney+)

Users of Disney's streaming services with the cheaper advertising subscription are to see personalized ads in future. The entertainment giant also wants to rely on artificial intelligence in the US market. 

Advertisers will be able to upload several versions of their clips to Disney - and during live broadcasts, the AI software will automatically select the video whose mood better matches the current development.

One focus is on lucrative sports broadcasts, where advertising space is particularly expensive in the USA. In the USA, the Group is now also integrating programs from its sports channel ESPN into the Disney+ streaming service.

Today, viewers usually see the same advertising clips during major sporting events, for example, said Disney manager Josh Mattison on the fringes of the CES technology trade fair in Las Vegas. In future, brands will be able to address specific target groups. If top matches go into extra time, companies will be able to bid in auctions for the newly created advertising slots.

Viewers will also have the opportunity to buy products from broadcasts directly from the app. Disney also wants to integrate sports betting in the USA, among other things. The tools with which advertising customers can measure the efficiency of their ads will be introduced internationally.

Tens of millions of customers with ad subscriptions
Disney cites a total of 157 million viewers who watch programs from the Group's three streaming services with advertisements. More than two thirds of these are in the US home market.