Why Disney+ Is Quietly Testing a Cable-Style Linear Channel
Internal product documents describe a 'Pulse' channel that would let subscribers tune into a curated broadcast — and bring an entirely new ad inventory online.
Streaming was supposed to kill the channel. Instead, every major platform is quietly rebuilding it.
Disney+ is the latest to join the trend, with a beta product internally referred to as 'Pulse' — a continuously-running, curated linear feed that surfaces across the homepage when a subscriber opens the app.
The pitch is simple: solve choice paralysis, increase session length, and unlock a new tier of premium ad inventory.
Sasha covers the business of streaming — strategy, earnings, ad-tier, and product.
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