The Disney TikTok deal will bring fan-made vertical videos from the social platform directly into Disney+, while giving selected creators official access to scenes and assets from hundreds of Disney films and television series. The global partnership was announced on 5 August and will initially be tested in the USA over the coming months, before a planned expansion to other markets.
The agreement creates a more direct connection between TikTok’s creator economy and Disney’s streaming platform. Videos made by participating creators who choose to join the programme will remain available on TikTok, but a curated selection will also appear inside Verts, the vertical video feed recently introduced in the Disney+ mobile app.
How the Disney TikTok deal will work
Under the agreement, TikTok creators will be able to use approved material connected to hundreds of titles in the Disney catalogue. The available intellectual property will include characters, scenes and stories from brands such as Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and FX.
The resulting videos will not automatically be transferred to Disney+. The companies said that participating creators must opt into the programme and that Disney will select the content shown through Verts.
This makes the partnership different from a conventional social media marketing campaign. TikTok videos will become part of the streaming interface itself, placing user-generated content alongside Disney’s professionally produced catalogue.
According to The Walt Disney Company, the selected videos will be refreshed regularly to reflect current conversations among fans. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Verts turns Disney+ into a short-form video platform
Disney launched Verts in the USA in March 2026 as a mobile-only feed of vertical clips. Subscribers can swipe through scenes from films and television series, add a title to their watchlist or immediately start watching the full production.
Until now, the feature has primarily worked as a content discovery tool using material controlled directly by Disney. The TikTok partnership adds a new layer: videos created outside the streaming service will become part of its recommendation and engagement system.
Disney had already said that Verts could eventually expand beyond clips from its own catalogue to include creator content and other storytelling formats. The new agreement provides the first concrete model for that expansion.
It also reflects a broader shift within streaming. Platforms are increasingly experimenting with vertical video to encourage more frequent mobile use and reduce the distance between discovering a programme and watching it. Netflix, Peacock and Paramount+ have introduced or tested similar short-form formats, although the Disney agreement is the first time TikTok videos will be distributed directly through another major platform, according to Reuters.
TikTok is becoming part of the streaming supply chain
TikTok has long influenced which films, series and older catalogue titles attract renewed attention. The new partnership formalises that role by turning fan videos into content that can circulate between a social network and a subscription streaming service.
TikTok said its users published an average of 6.5 million posts about films and television every day in 2025. In a survey commissioned by the company, nearly half of respondents said they had watched a film or television programme after first discovering related content on TikTok. The figures are based on internal platform data and research conducted with Ipsos.
For Disney, the agreement offers another way to keep subscribers inside its app and expose them to titles from a catalogue accumulated over more than a century. For TikTok, it gives creators authorised access to intellectual property that is normally protected by strict copyright controls and extends the visibility of their work beyond the platform.
A new programme for Disney creators
The two companies will also establish a joint Disney Creator Ambassador Program. Selected creators will receive different levels of support, including greater visibility, access to events, professional development opportunities and other rewards.
Disney described the initiative as a way to build relationships with emerging creative talent. It may also help the company identify creators who can promote its franchises while operating within an officially licensed framework.
The partnership remains limited to a pilot in the USA, and the companies have not specified which countries will follow or when the programme could reach Europe and the Nordic region. Its expansion will therefore depend on the results of the initial test, as well as questions concerning licensing, moderation and the selection of creators.
The agreement nevertheless shows how the boundary between streaming platforms and social media is becoming less distinct. Disney+ is no longer positioning short videos only as promotional material leading viewers towards films and series. Through TikTok, creator-made clips will become part of the streaming product itself.
