Walt Disney Co. and TikTok on Aug. 5 announced a first-of-its-kind global partnership allowing creators to use assets from hundreds of Disney films and TV shows—including Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and FX—for short-form videos on both platforms.
The collaboration will introduce a Verts tab on Disney+, featuring vertical videos curated from TikTok creators. A pilot program is set to launch in the U.S. in the coming months, with plans to expand to additional markets. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Key details of the agreement:
- TikTok creators will gain access to a large library of Disney content, including films and series, for use in short-form videos.
- Videos will appear on both TikTok and Disney+, marking the first time TikTok content will be integrated into another platform.
- The Verts tab on Disney+ is designed to attract younger audiences who consume vertical video on mobile devices.
Disney Chief Marketing and Brand Officer Asad Ayaz stated in a joint press release: “This collaboration creates a new bridge between the stories we tell and the creativity they inspire, giving creators a bigger stage to share what they’ve made, and audiences more to discover on Disney+ every day.”
The partnership reflects a broader industry trend toward vertical video content. Competing streaming services, including Peacock (Comcast) and Paramount+, have also introduced vertical video formats, while Netflix offers a TikTok-style “Clips” feature.
Industry context and implications:
- TikTok users shared an average of 6.5 million film- and TV-related posts daily in 2023, according to internal TikTok data.
- Nearly half of viewers in a TikTok survey reported watching a movie or TV show after discovering related content on the platform.
- Disney’s move aligns with its broader strategy to boost engagement and reduce churn on Disney+, positioning the app as the company’s “digital centerpiece,” per CEO Josh D’Amaro.
The initiative follows Disney’s prior licensing deal with OpenAI’s Sora, which allowed users to generate AI-driven videos featuring Disney characters. That project was discontinued earlier this year.