Disney+ brings TikTok fan videos into its short-form feed

Disney is partnering with TikTok to bring Disney-focused fan content directly into the Disney+ app, starting with a pilot program in the US in the coming months and expanding to additional markets later on. Under the agreement, fan-made TikTok videos about Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and other franchises will be featured in “Verts,” the short-form video feed Disney+ rolled out a few months ago.

Disney has been working to expand the amount and variety of content on that feed. Late last year, the company committed to a $1 billion investment in OpenAI as part of a three-year licensing deal that would have let people create short videos using Disney characters on OpenAI’s video-generation platform, Sora — plans that fell through after OpenAI suddenly decided to shut down Sora in March. The TikTok partnership looks like a natural progression from that effort, as streaming platforms increasingly compete with social platforms for attention; that competition is part of why Disney launched the Verts feature in the first place, alongside similar moves from Netflix, HBO Max, and Prime Video. Other streaming services, including Tubi and Peacock, have also collaborated with TikTok creators to produce original long-form content.

The deal also signals Disney’s acknowledgment that a new generation of talent has emerged on social media. Through a newly launched Disney Creator Ambassador Program, the company said TikTok creators will gain access to its content library along with opportunities to earn rewards, increase visibility, attend exclusive events, and pursue career opportunities.

The announcement’s timing aligns with Disney’s Q3 results: the company reported that subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) operating income more than doubled to $712 million, up from $329 million a year earlier. Disney also announced a restructuring move shifting its consumer products business from the Experiences division to Studios.

Why it matters

By routing TikTok’s fan-creator ecosystem directly into its own app rather than competing against it, Disney is betting that owning the distribution surface for franchise fan content matters more than owning the generative-AI tools that made a similar bet with OpenAI collapse months earlier.