Since its rollout began towards the end of 2019, Disney+ has continued to grow, surpassing all of the company’s expectations in terms of subscriber numbers. At a time when more and more homes are choosing to use streaming services over traditional television, it makes sense for Disney+ to be the centre of focus for Disney.
A patent application published by Disney on March 4th, 2021 gives a hint towards potential new innovations that may bring new features to the Disney+ platform. The patent application, for “Cloud-based Image Rendering for Video Stream Enrichment” is for a new form of video enrichment which will add more interactivity for users.
The interactive features would be based on user preferences and added to individual profiles. The application describes an example where a video stream of a sporting event could include data identifying the favourite team of the user with logos or team colours using graphical overlays.
The interactive features could also be used to cast votes on reality shows or for fun features such as allowing viewers to guess which Jedi would appear during The Mandalorian finale. The technology could also be licensed to other streaming services.
After announcing that it is shifting its focus to streaming, This new patent application could shed some light on the scope of Disney’s streaming plans.