Disney is taking a step toward making Disney+ into something that looks a little more like a social media app.
The company said on Wednesday that it had reached a global deal with TikTok to allow fan-created short-form videos based on Disney characters and franchises to appear inside the Disney+ streaming service. The videos will be tightly vetted by Disney — “thoughtfully curated” in its words — and will appear in Verts, a vertical video feed that debuted inside Disney+ this spring.
Verts is an attempt by Disney to give people a reason to open Disney+ even when they don’t have a specific movie or show in mind. The hope is that a few minutes of scrolling will turn into an hour of streaming. So far, Verts has featured only Disney-produced clips from the company’s movies and television shows.
For TikTok, the deal is a chance to associate itself with a trusted family brand, as the social media platform pursues its own user growth.
Disney’s announcement was vague on details: When and where will the TikTok videos start appearing in Verts? “In the U.S. in the coming months with the intention of other markets to follow,” the company said.
How many fan-made videos will appear? “An expansive collection” that will be “refreshed regularly,” according to Disney.
Under the deal, TikTok will offer certain creators access to video clips related to “hundreds” of films and TV shows from Disney’s library, including assets from the Pixar, Marvel, FX and Lucasfilm brands. A Disney spokeswoman declined to identify any titles.
The agreement is another sign that Disney has become more willing to let outside creators experiment with its prized intellectual property. Last year, the company announced that it would allow users of OpenAI’s Sora video-generation platform to create videos featuring more than 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars characters, with selected creations appearing on Disney+. That partnership collapsed in March, when OpenAI abruptly shut down Sora.
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