Disney Plus signs deal to feature TikTok content, days after killing Wonder Man
Developing story first seen 4 hours ago
Disney has announced a new partnership with TikTok that will embed user-generated content within Disney Plus through a feature called "Verts", allowing select Disney-themed TikTok videos from participating creators to appear on the streaming service. The move reflects Disney's efforts to compete with social media by tapping into fan engagement, though its timing has drawn criticism given the company's recent cancellation of the well-reviewed, Emmy-nominated series Wonder Man.
Under the deal, TikTok will gain 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 will be incentivised through Disney's Creator Ambassador Programme, offering rewards, visibility and career opportunities, with Disney citing data showing fans post an average of 6.5 million film- and TV-related TikToks daily. The partnership appears to replace an earlier planned collaboration with OpenAI's Sora, which was shelved due to cost concerns, though some observers worry the shift towards user-generated content could dilute Disney Plus's quality, while TikTok itself remains dogged by data-privacy concerns linked to its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.
- Disney Plus will feature user-made TikTok content via new "Verts" feature
- Deal comes days after Disney controversially cancelled Wonder Man's second season
- Partnership replaces a scrapped OpenAI Sora collaboration, raising quality concerns
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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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