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Disney agrees deal to let TikTokers use its characters in videos

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A still of Buzz and Woody from Toy Story 5, both looking shocked

Disney and TikTok have agreed a deal which will allow creators to use clips from Disney films, including its subsidiaries, in their 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.

The scheme will be launched in the US before being rolled out to other 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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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.

“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.

“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.”

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TikTok said its platform saw an average of 6.5 million posts relating to film and TV per day last year.

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.

This makes it harder for a wide audience to engage with fan-created content around a big 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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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”.

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.

But he said it was not without risk.

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“There is an ongoing safety debate around TikTok under European online rules,” he said.

“At a minimum, Disney will need to employ significant guardrails to curate the creator content that is selected.”

Online creators and influencers are becoming more important to brands’ marketing 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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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.

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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Sterlite Tech shares gain 4% on Rs 1,760 crore international order win

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Sterlite Tech shares gain 4% on Rs 1,760 crore international order win
Shares of optical and digital solutions provider Sterlite Technologies climbed over 4% to trade at Rs 662 on Thursday after the company secured a major international order worth approximately Rs 1,760 crore.

In a regulatory filing on August 5, the Pune-headquartered technology firm announced that it entered into a multi-year supply agreement with a leading international telecom infrastructure company for high-density optical fiber cables. The client’s specific identity was not disclosed in the filing, as is common with such commercial disclosures.

Details of the order win

The long-term contract is valued at roughly Rs 1,760 crore ($210 million) and will be executed over a three-calendar-year period spanning CY27 to CY29. Sterlite Technologies confirmed in its stock exchange disclosure that neither its promoter group nor any related entities have any financial or strategic interest in the client awarding the contract.

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The deal comes as a significant boost to the company’s global order book, strengthening its presence across key international markets. As telecom operators and hyperscalers worldwide accelerate network rollouts, demand for advanced high-density fibre connectivity solutions is accelerating. The company noted that supplies under this agreement will directly support large-scale digital infrastructure deployments overseas during the three-year execution window.

Market performance and valuation context

The latest surge in the stock price extends a remarkable turnaround for the company on the exchanges. Over the past year, Sterlite Tech has witnessed a multi-fold rally from its 52-week low of Rs 84.65, with Thursday’s gains pushing the scrip close to its 52-week peak of Rs 684.45.


The rally has taken place even as the share remains under the Additional Surveillance Measure (ASM) Long Term Stage 4 framework on the exchanges. Exchange data also indicates that the company’s price-to-earnings (PE) ratio has stayed above 50 across the previous four trailing quarters, reflecting strong market expectations around its future earnings trajectory.

Expanding global digital footprint

Sterlite Technologies operates as an integrated optical and digital connectivity solutions developer, managing operations from glass preforms down to fiber deployment. The company runs manufacturing facilities across India, the United States, Italy, and China, serving telecom operators, internet service providers, and cloud data center networks in more than 100 countries.Industry analysts point out that large long-term contracts from international infrastructure developers are crucial for providing multi-year revenue visibility to optical fiber manufacturers. With global investments pouring into Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) expansion, 5G network densification, and AI-driven data center builds, major optical technology vendors like Sterlite Tech are positioned to capture growing demand across overseas telecom hubs.

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Also read: Explained: What is CAS and what do new stock market timings mean for BSE, NSE traders?

The company’s recent strategic focus has centred on high-capacity ribbon cables, ultra-slim optical fibres, and specialised interconnect tools tailored for rapid deployment. Management has consistently highlighted that long-term supply agreements with global leaders help de-risk capacity planning while ensuring sustained utilisation across its primary manufacturing assets.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)

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SoundHound AI, Inc. (SOUN) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

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OneWater Marine Inc. (ONEW) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript