Disney and TikTok Strike Deal on Creator Videos

The Walt Disney Company and TikTok announced a deal Wednesday that will let content creators make short videos featuring characters from Disney brands including Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars.

The companies said the short-form clips will be shared on TikTok and on Vert, a vertical video feed inside the Disney+ streaming app, in what they described as a "first-of-its-kind global deal."

A pilot program will roll out in the coming months before expanding to other markets, the companies said. TikTok creators will get access to a large library of Disney content, including hundreds of films and television shows.

"Creators a bigger stage to share what they've made, and audiences more to discover on Disney+ every day," is what the arrangement will deliver, Asad Ayaz, Disney's chief marketing and brand officer, said in a statement announcing the partnership.

The agreement underscores how central user-created content has become to the entertainment business. For Disney, it offers a way to widen its audience and drive online engagement, particularly among younger Americans.

On a call with Wall Street analysts in May, Disney Chief Executive Josh D'Amaro said short-form video is something the company is "actively leaning into."

"Short-form and creative content, they've exploded in the past few years," D'Amaro told investors. "And it's an area we're focused on because we have deeply committed fans who — they love our brands and our franchises and characters, and they want to engage with them in this new way. And this is specifically important when we think about Gen Alpha, obviously the newest generation of Disney fans."

The partnership could also benefit TikTok by giving the platform access to material from one of the world's best-known entertainment brands.

It is not Disney's first move into licensing its characters for user-made video. Last year, the company struck a deal with OpenAI that allowed users of the Sora AI video app to create clips featuring Disney characters.