TikTok videos will be coming to Disney+.
The tech giant and the entertainment giant have inked what they are calling a “first-of-its-kind” content sharing deal, which will allow TikTok videos from Disney fans to live on both of their streaming platforms.
The deal bears a striking similarity to last year’s short-lived announcement with OpenAI to fold videos from Sora into Disney+… but without the whole AI-generated angle. Creators will gain access to Disney assets (think photos and videos featuring Disney characters and IP), while a “thoughtfully curated” selection of videos from creators who opt-in will live on both TikTok and in Verts on Disney+.
The companies also say that they “will enable best-in-class creators to unlock special rewards and provide them with increased visibility, access to exclusive events and career development pathways,” making it a two-way street of engagement. The partnership will launch in the U.S. in the next couple months, with plans to eventually bring it to other markets.
“The best storytellers are fans first,” said Asad Ayaz, chief marketing and brand officer for Disney. “That has always been true at Disney, and today, fans are celebrating our stories in entirely new ways. 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.”
“Creators are at the heart of everything we do at TikTok. Their creativity extends the life of films and shows into conversations that fans discover and share,” added Dawn Yang, global head of entertainment for TikTok. “Together with Disney, we’re bringing the authentic creator expression of the TikTok community to Disney+, inviting audiences to experience the shared creativity that makes fandom so powerful.”
The deal will inevitably turbocharge Disney’s Verts offering, with the company teasing the possibility of creator content there when it launched in March. Vertical video has become a top priority for streamers, recognizing that consumers who watch videos on their phones are just not likely to turn it sideways in most use cases. Peacock, HBO Max, and Netflix have all also rolled out enhanced vertical video offerings in recent months.
But the Disney-TikTok tie-up also recognizes the role that creators are playing in fandom, with fand of characters and IP, be it Marvel Star Wars or Moana, often turning to social video platforms to dissect, discuss and celebrate those characters and worlds.