Brand
Disney Signs Content and Development Deal With YouTube Kids Creator Like Nastya
Disney has signed a content and development deal with Like Nastya, the kids’ YouTube brand with more than 450 million subscribers across 25 channels in 22 languages, marking the brand’s first partnership with a major entertainment company.
According to Deadline, the agreement covers development of an original animated preschool series for Disney Jr. and Disney+, along with new live-action content aimed at kids, tweens, teens and families. It also gives Disney access to a curated selection of the existing Like Nastya library, built around music, imaginative storytelling, and playful adventures. The new and licensed content will roll out across Disney+ and other Disney-owned platforms.
Like Nastya centers on Anastasiia Radzinskaia, a Russian-American YouTuber whose videos span children’s songs, educational entertainment, unboxings, vlogging and roleplay. Since launching in 2016, the brand has grown from a single channel into a global family entertainment operation spanning music, live events, consumer products, gaming, licensing, brand partnerships and streaming distribution.
“I’m incredibly proud of Anastasiia and how Like Nastya has grown into a global brand loved by millions of families worldwide,” said Anna Radzinskaia, Nastya’s mother and founder of the Like Nastya brand. “Bringing together the worlds of Like Nastya and Disney is an exciting opportunity to create something truly special for a new generation.”
A Pattern, Not a One-Off
The Like Nastya agreement is the latest in a string of creator deals Disney has struck in 2026. The company reached an original content agreement with Dhar Mann Studios last month, and has also signed “Toddler Raves” and “Toddler Techno” creator Lenny Pearce, plus the “Gracie’s Corner” YouTube channel.
The Gracie’s Corner deal, announced in June, illustrates how these arrangements can be structured. Disney acquired global streaming rights to the series, an animated preschool show with more than 6.3 million YouTube subscribers and nearly 10 billion lifetime views, covering more than 120 shorts and 18 themed compilations, plus an agreement for creators Javoris Hollingsworth and Arlene Gordon-Hollingsworth to develop new original content. That series kept its videos available on YouTube even after expanding to Disney+ and Disney Jr., a condition Hollingsworth said was central to the negotiation. Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television, described the Gracie’s Corner deal as part of a broader effort to work with creators “who understand the kinds of music-driven, participatory experiences kids return to again and again.”
Disney has also struck a first-of-its-kind global content-sharing deal with TikTok, extending the same creator-partnership strategy beyond YouTube-native talent.
Why Disney Is Buying In
The volume of deal-making lines up with a shift in where kids’ media consumption actually happens. YouTube generated an estimated $62 billion in revenue in 2025, surpassing Disney’s media business, which produced $60.9 billion excluding its experiences division, according to financial research firm MoffettNathanson. The firm now values YouTube at between $500 billion and $560 billion. Ninety percent of Gen Alpha in the U.S. can be reached on YouTube, more than any other platform, according to a Digital Voices report, and influencer recommendations carry roughly the same weight with the cohort as advice from family and friends.
For a studio competing with free, YouTube-native kids content for audience attention, acquiring or partnering with the creators who already command that audience offers a more direct path than trying to out-produce them. Streaming rivals have pursued a similar approach: Netflix has found success bringing in creators including Ms. Rachel and Mark Rober.
Disney has not disclosed financial terms of the Like Nastya deal. The animated preschool series does not yet have a release date, and the company has not specified how much of the existing Like Nastya library will be made available on its platforms or when that content will begin appearing on Disney+.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Check Out Our Podcast
