Disney is giving TikTok users a new way to bring its films and characters into their own videos under what the entertainment company described as a “first-of-its-kind agreement” with the hugely popular platform.
The partnership will also put creators at the center of Disney+, through a curated feed showcasing fan-made videos inspired by Disney’s characters and stories, the company said.
Disney did not disclose financial terms or other details of the content-sharing deal in its quarterly earnings statement, which reported a 7% increase in revenue to $25.2 billion.
The agreement forms part of a broader push to use “advanced technologies to power our storytelling and increase monetisation and returns”, the company said.
Net profit for the financial quarter ending 27 June dropped to $2.8bn, down from $5.9bn a year earlier. Disney attributed part of the decline to a higher tax bill, although the results still exceeded most analyst forecasts.
Disney+ and rival streaming platforms are increasingly turning to vertical video, a format expanding rapidly across the United States.
Peacock, owned by Comcast, and Paramount+ have both begun offering vertical series, while Netflix has introduced Clips, its collection of short videos styled after TikTok content.
Alongside supplying fresh material for Disney+, the TikTok partnership could help Disney draw more viewers to its streaming service by turning fan creativity into a pathway for discovery.
TikTok data showed that users shared an average of 6.5 million posts about films and television each day last year. In a survey, nearly half of viewers said they watched a movie or TV programme after encountering related content on TikTok.
“The best storytellers are fans first,” said Asad Ayaz, Disney’s chief marketing and brand officer.
“This collaboration creates a new bridge between the stories we tell and the creativity they inspire.”
