Disney and TikTok announced a new global partnership today. It will bring fan-created TikTok videos to the Verts feed on Disney+. The deal will pilot in the United States before expanding to other markets. Participating creators can opt in to have their short-form videos featured on both platforms. Here’s the latest.
Disney and TikTok Launch Creator Videos for Disney+
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- Disney and TikTok are bringing fan-created videos from TikTok into the Verts feed on Disney+
- The pilot launches in the United States first, with other markets expected to follow
- A new Disney Creator Ambassador Program will offer top creators rewards and career development opportunities
The videos will draw on scenes and characters from across Disney’s brands, including Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and FX. Disney is giving TikTok creators access to assets from hundreds of Disney films and series. Disney+ says the app will refresh the featured content regularly to keep fan conversations current.
Fan-Created Content Comes to Verts
The partnership builds on Verts, the vertical video feed that debuted on Disney+ earlier this year, as we reported when the feature first launched on the app. Verts started as a way for users to swipe through scenes and moments from Disney+’s existing catalog. This new collaboration expands it to include fan-made content sourced directly from TikTok.
Asad Ayaz, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer for The Walt Disney Company, said fans have always been part of how Disney’s stories get told. He said the partnership gives creators a bigger stage. Dawn Yang, TikTok’s Global Head of Entertainment, said creator content extends the life of films and shows by turning them into conversations fans discover and share.
The best storytellers are fans first. 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. 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.
A New Program for Creators
Central to the collaboration is the jointly run Disney Creator Ambassador Program. The tiered system offers top creators special rewards, increased visibility, access to exclusive events, and career development pathways. Disney and TikTok frame the program as an investment in the next generation of creative talent, built around the idea that great storytellers can come from anywhere.
TikTok shared data showing the scale of entertainment fandom already active on its platform. Fans posted an average of 6.5 million film and television-related posts per day last year, according to the company. TikTok also said nearly half of surveyed viewers went on to watch a movie or show on a streaming service or television after finding related content on the app. The two companies point to that engagement as part of the case for bringing creator content directly into Disney+.
Disney and TikTok have not announced an exact launch date for the pilot. They also have not said which markets will follow the initial U.S. rollout.
Keep Reading
- Curious how Verts got its start on Disney+? Here’s our look at the vertical video feed’s original debut on the app.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!