Disney's most famous characters are expected to become part of the daily lives of millions of users on TikTok, following a new agreement that changes the way fans will create and share content online.
The iconic universes of Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and other franchises of the American company will be accessible to short video creators, giving them the opportunity to use official material without facing traditional copyright restrictions.
As part of the new partnership with TikTok, clips from Disney films and series will be able to appear in users' videos, while the content will also be integrated into Disney's own short video platform, Verts.
The program will initially launch in the United States and is then expected to expand to other markets.
Neither Disney nor TikTok have disclosed financial details of the deal. The partnership comes after a $1 billion deal between Disney and OpenAI, which would have allowed users to create videos featuring Disney characters using artificial intelligence, fell through in March after OpenAI discontinued its video-creation tool Sora and decided to focus on other areas.
"This day comes at a time when fans are celebrating our stories in entirely new ways," said Disney's head of marketing and business development, Asad Ayas, after announcing the deal.
In a joint statement, the two companies emphasized that audience interaction on social media, including fan-generated videos, is playing an increasingly important role in the entertainment industry.
According to TikTok, over the past year the platform has had an average of about 6.5 million posts per day related to films and television series.
Until now, many users have used excerpts from movies and series in their videos, but often this content has been removed due to claims of copyright infringement.
The new deal is seen as a significant step for Disney, which is looking to leverage the power of content creators and influencers to promote its brands. Meanwhile, the company launched its short-form video platform Verts in the US in March, with an eye on international expansion.
