Disney has agreed to a deal with TikTok allowing creators to use clips from Disney films and TV shows in their videos. The scheme will initially launch in the US before being rolled out to other countries. Under the agreement, Disney's short-form video platform Verts will be able to host user-generated content featuring Disney characters and scenes. Social media expert Matt Navarra notes that this deal marks a shift in Hollywood's approach, where it now needs to give fans the raw materials to create their own content.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Disney and TikTok have agreed a deal that will allow users to include clips from Disney films, including Star Wars and Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, in their videos on TikTok. The partnership will also enable creators to share their content on Disney's new short-form video platform, Verts, which is set to launch first in the US before expanding to other countries. This move comes after a previous deal between Disney and OpenAI, valued at $1 billion (£745m), was canceled when OpenAI shut down its AI video generation tool Sora in March. The new agreement allows creators to use Disney's content without providing financial details on the deal itself. Social media experts see this as a shift towards giving fans more control over the content and attention they receive from Hollywood studios, with Disney's chief marketing and brand officer Asad Ayaz stating that "fans are celebrating our stories in entirely new ways."
Written for “Disney-TikTok Deal” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article uses neutral language to describe both Disney and TikTok's roles in the deal, noting the 'credibility of becoming a formal distribution partner' for TikTok, but also discussing potential risks such as 'curating the creator content' for Disney. The framing of Disney's involvement in user-generated content is somewhat positive, with quotes from experts highlighting its benefits.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score +0.20 for article 567 · logged 2026-08-06
- Published
Disney and TikTok have agreed a deal which will allow creators to use clips from Disney films, including its subsidiaries, in their videos.
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creators → agree → videos
It means clips from hit franchises like Star Wars, Toy Story and the Marvel Cinematic Universe will soon start popping up in videos - which will also be shared on Disney's short-form video platform, Verts.
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which → mean → platform
The scheme will be launched in the US before being rolled out to other countries.
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scheme → launch → countries
Neither company shared financial details of the agreement, although it follows the collapse of a $1bn (£745m) deal between Disney and OpenAI which would have let people use its characters in AI-generated videos.
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people → share → videos
That agreement was cancelled in March when OpenAI shut down its AI video generation tool Sora, citing a decision to focus on other parts of its business.
"Today, fans are celebrating our stories in entirely new ways," said Disney's chief marketing and brand officer Asad Ayaz, following the TikTok deal being announced.
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officer → cancel → deal
"Disney owns some of the world's biggest franchises but ownership of attention is shifting towards creators," social media expert Matt Navarra told BBC News.
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Navarra → own → News
"Hollywood used to market at fans - now it needs to give fans the raw materials to market with it, and that is quite a profound shift."
TikTok said its platform saw an average of 6.5 million posts relating to film and TV per day last year.
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platform → use → day
Fans like to use clips from films and TV shows in their videos, but without express permission, they would often be taken down due to copyright claims.
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they → like → claims
This makes it harder for a wide audience to engage with fan-created content around a big release.
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audience → make → release
TikTok would also benefit from the "credibility of becoming a formal distribution partner to one of Hollywood's biggest studios," Navarra said.
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Navarra → benefit → studios
He added that TikTok's recommendation algorithm gives it the power to "influence which character or scene or forgotten franchise suddenly becomes very valuable again".
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character → add → power
Disney and TikTok said a jointly-run programme would boost some creators' videos and give them access to exclusive events.
"This is a deal that repositions and recovers Disney in the UGC [user-generated content] space following the content gap left by the sudden collapse of Sora," Gareth Sutcliffe from Enders Analysis said.
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Sutcliffe → say → Analysis
But he said it was not without risk.
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it → say → risk
"There is an ongoing safety debate around TikTok under European online rules," he said.
"
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he → be → rules
At a minimum, Disney will need to employ significant guardrails to curate the creator content that is selected.
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that → need → content
"
Online creators and influencers are becoming more important to brands' marketing strategies.
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creators → become → strategies
Last year, a report from Oxford Economics said YouTube content creators contributed £2.2bn to the UK economy in 2024 and supported 45,000 jobs.
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creators → say → jobs
There is also a recognition that even very small influencers, who focus on niche topics, might have lower follower counts but come with a hyper-engaged audience.
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who → be → audience
Disney launched its short form video platform Verts in the US in March, with plans to expand that further around the world.
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Disney → launch → world
