While scrolling through Disney+, you expect to come across beloved movies and TV shows from the entertainment giant’s most popular franchises.
What you might not expect is a TikTok.
That may become the new normal because the Walt Disney Co. and TikTok announced a deal this week that will bring an assortment of TikTok videos to the service—fan-made short videos centered around Disney content.
A pilot program will launch in a few months on both TikTok and Disney+, though the companies have not yet announced which specific creators will be featured. The deal allows participating TikTokkers to create videos using memorable scenes and characters from Disney’s classic catalog and popular brands, including Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars.
When a few minutes of scrolling becomes hours of streaming
Disney+ originally launched verts—short-form videos made for mobile viewing—on March 12 of this year. They allow users to swipe through clipped scenes and trailers. The expectation is that a few minutes of scrolling could turn into a few hours of streaming.
Fan-created content has increased in popularity and now plays a role in garnering new audiences and engaging fan communities. According to TikTok, users share an average of 6.5 million pieces of movie and TV content each day, and nearly half of these viewers watch a show or film after discovering it on the platform.
Specifically highlighting the impact of fandom culture, the companies are hoping this partnership will spark cultural conversations between the brands.
“Thoughtfully curated”
These videos will be tightly vetted and “thoughtfully curated,” the companies said, while being run by the Disney Creator Ambassador Program—a jointly managed initiative between Disney and TikTok designed to identify and reward social media creators who produce Disney-themed content.
Creators will be offered access to assets from Disney’s vast library to create a shared experience. The videos will be regularly refreshed, laying the groundwork for a legacy entertainment giant like Disney to build relationships with the next generation of creative talent. TikTok, meanwhile, gets to associate itself with a trusted family brand.
Disney shared the announcement on the same day as its third-quarter earnings, in which it posted 11% growth in its streaming entertainment business.
Shares of the Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) are up more than 8% over the last five days as of this writing.
