The endless scroll is escaping social media.
For years, brands treated short video as rented space. They made clips for social networks, chased whatever format was hot that month, then hoped the algorithm would send people back to their site or app. That bargain still matters, but it no longer feels sufficient.
In 2026, more media and entertainment companies are building vertical feeds inside products they already own. Disney+ rolled out Verts in March. Netflix followed with Clips in April, Prime Video expanded its Clips feature in May, Peacock pushed further into vertical video in June, and HBO Max began testing Shorts in July.
The pattern is hard to miss. Brands don’t only want attention anymore. They want the scroll itself.
Discovery Has Become Part of the Product
A short-form feed solves a very ordinary problem: people don’t always know what they want.
Open a streaming service with thousands of titles and the choice can feel weirdly exhausting. A poster, title and short summary ask the user to make a decision. A 20-second scene asks for far less. Watch, swipe, laugh, save it. Done.
Disney+ built Verts so viewers can swipe through scenes and jump straight into a film or series. Netflix’s Clips uses personalized highlights to help people find something worth watching. HBO Max is testing trailers, clips and bonus material shaped by viewing history.
The feed isn’t just content. It’s navigation wearing cooler clothes.
Owning the Scroll Changes the Business
There’s another reason brands want these feeds inside their own apps: fewer handoffs.
If someone discovers a song, show, product or game on an external social network, the brand still has to persuade that person to leave the feed, open another app and continue the journey. Each extra tap creates friction.
An owned feed shortens that path. A clip can sit beside a save button, product page, playlist or full episode. The next action is right there.
That logic reaches beyond streaming. A casino lobby has the same problem as a streaming catalogue (hundreds of titles, one undecided user) which is why regulated operators like Betinia Ontario (19+) invest in browsable, preview-driven lobbies for exactly the reason Netflix built Clips: discovery has to live inside the product.
Brands also gain useful first-party insight. They can see which clips hold attention, which topics trigger saves and which moments push users deeper into a catalog.
Short Video Is Becoming a Search Tool
Short feeds are starting to behave less as miniature TV channels and more as search engines built around mood. Users don’t always type a perfect request. They swipe until something feels right.
That’s a different kind of intent. Messier, faster, more emotional.
Spotify is moving in this direction as video becomes more central to music discovery. In June, the company said it would automatically create short-form previews for full-length videos uploaded through Spotify for Artists. Spotify also reported that listeners who streamed a video played the related song 64% more often during the following three weeks, on average.
For labels and artists, the clip is becoming part of the listening path, not just an extra promo asset.
But a Feed Isn’t Magic
Add a vertical feed to an app and nobody suddenly owes you attention.
Amazon learned that lesson with Inspire, its shopping feed, which was discontinued after launching as a swipeable discovery feature. The format alone wasn’t enough.
That’s why strong brand feeds have a clear job. Netflix wants to ease choice paralysis. Disney+ wants to surface moments buried in a huge catalog. Spotify wants video to lead naturally back to music. Peacock has said its mobile strategy is about giving fans more reasons to open the app regularly.
A feed needs purpose, not just motion.
The Home Screen Is Getting Restless
For years, brand apps were built around menus, grids and search bars. Those tools aren’t going away, but they assume the user arrives with intent.
Short-form feeds work when the user arrives with curiosity.
That distinction explains the rush. Social feeds trained people to expect instant discovery, quick emotional payoff and very little setup. Now brands are bringing that behavior into spaces they control.
The swipe isn’t replacing the homepage. It’s becoming one of its most persuasive doors.
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