Disney is partnering with TikTok to pipe fan-made videos about Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and other franchises directly into Disney+, starting with a US pilot in the coming months before expanding to further markets. The content will appear in "Verts," the streamer's short-form video feed, as Disney seeks to bulk up the feed's content and compete with TikTok and other social platforms for viewers' attention. The tie-up follows the collapse of an earlier plan to let people generate Disney-character videos on OpenAI's Sora platform, after OpenAI abruptly shut Sora down in March.

Alongside the content deal, Disney has launched a Creator Ambassador Program giving TikTok creators access to its content library plus rewards, greater visibility, exclusive events and career opportunities, reflecting the company's recognition that emerging talent is building audiences on social media. Rivals Tubi and Peacock have already worked with TikTok creators on original long-form programming. The announcement coincides with Disney's latest quarterly results, in which streaming operating income more than doubled to $712 million from $329 million a year earlier, and a restructuring that moves the consumer products business from the Experiences division into Studios.