Disney Plus adds TikTok video feature days after Wonder Man axed
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Disney has struck a partnership with TikTok that will embed user-generated content within Disney Plus through a new mobile feature called "Verts", allowing select Disney-themed TikTok videos from participating creators to appear on the streaming service. The deal reflects Disney's broader push to compete with social media by tapping into fan engagement, though the timing drew criticism as it followed the company's cancellation of the well-reviewed, Emmy-nominated series Wonder Man just days earlier, and it appears to substitute for an earlier planned tie-up with OpenAI's Sora video tool, which was shut down over costs.
Under the arrangement, TikTok gains access to Disney film and series assets, while Disney Plus users see a feed of related TikTok content spanning brands including Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and FX. Creators are incentivised through Disney's Creator Ambassador Programme, which offers rewards, greater visibility and career development opportunities, with Disney citing internal TikTok data showing fans share an average of 6.5 million film- and TV-related posts daily and that nearly half of surveyed viewers went on to watch a title after discovering it on the app. The move has prompted concern among some observers about a potential decline in content quality on Disney Plus, and comes against the backdrop of TikTok's continued political controversy in the US, including a government-brokered deal for it to keep operating and claims of censorship of Trump-critical posts.
- Disney Plus will feature user-generated TikTok content via new "Verts" feature
- Deal follows backlash over cancellation of acclaimed series Wonder Man
- Move seen as replacement for scrapped OpenAI Sora partnership
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Disney Plus is the streaming service run by The Walt Disney Company, home to franchises such as Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and FX. TikTok is the short-video app owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, widely used for fan-made clips and trends. The two companies have now agreed a partnership that will bring TikTok videos onto Disney Plus, marking one of the first times a major streamer has folded social-media content directly into its platform.
The deal centres on a new feature that will let selected TikTok creators' Disney-related videos appear within Disney Plus, alongside access for TikTok to certain Disney film and show material. Disney is also offering incentives to creators who take part, as part of a wider push to engage fans who already post huge volumes of Disney-themed content online. It follows reports that Disney had previously considered working with OpenAI's video tool Sora for a similar purpose.
This matters because it signals how traditional entertainment companies are adapting to compete with social media for audience attention, and it raises questions about how user-generated content might sit alongside professionally made shows on a paid streaming service. TikTok's ownership by ByteDance has also long been a source of scrutiny over data privacy, which some may see as relevant to a closer tie-up with a major US media company.
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Originally published by Polygon as “Disney Plus signs deal to feature TikTok content, days after killing Wonder Man”.