The Mouse revealed several big announcements at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, including plans to stream the biennial D23 Fan Expo for the first time in the event's history. Part of D23 (a pop culture convention that offers sneak peeks, panels, and other special events for Disney superfans), which will take place August 9-11 in Anaheim, California, will be streamed live on Disney Plus.

Disney Chief Brand Officer Asad Ayaz broke the news during the fourth annual Tech and Data Showcase, a brand-focused event for advertisers at CES 2023 in Las Vegas. This summer, Disney is preparing to "take it to a whole new level" at D23 by adding new elements such as music performances and exclusive shopping experiences, while leveraging the popular Disney Plus streaming platform, Ayaz said. Tickets go on sale March 26.

Nearly 80,000 people attended the last D23 in 2022, Ayaz said, likening the event to Disney's "Super Bowl weekend at Comic-Con."

D23 is "incredibly passionate, with a real sense of ownership for the Disney brand and characters, and a real sense of community," he said, fans who have been with Disney through various stages of their lives". Our fans are not just passive observers. They are active participants."

Ayaz did not go into further detail about which D23 events will be streamed live on Disney Plus. He also announced that D23 will expand internationally this fall with an event in Sao Paulo, Brazil in November.

In addition to the D23 streaming news, Disney announced that in March it will launch a fully integrated streaming bundle that will integrate Hulu content into Disney Plus. This will allow viewers to enjoy two of the best streaming services without ever leaving the app. The merger between Disney Plus and Hulu involves Disney buying Comcast's stake in Hulu for $8.61 billion.

In explaining Disney's plans for its burgeoning streaming business at CES, Joe Earley, Disney's president of direct-to-consumer streaming, said that the beta launch has been very successful so far The beta launch has been a huge success so far:

"Since the beta launch began rolling out seamlessly a month ago, engagement with Hulu content on the Disney+ app has exceeded even our expectations and continues to grow with each passing week," he said. Consumers are also watching more shows in terms of viewing time.