Scope of the agreement
The Walt Disney Company announced a new original content deal with Dhar Mann Studios on August 21. The agreement calls for an initial 20-episode order of scripted content crafted for kids, tweens, teens and families, to be produced by Dhar Mann Studios for Disney. Disney framed the partnership as a way to extend its storytelling reach into the short-form digital space where Dhar Mann has built a large following.
Audience reach and content style
Dhar Mann Studios has built one of the largest digital audiences in scripted creator content, with more than 170 million followers globally and nearly 300 million views each week across platforms, according to reporting on the announcement. The company's flagship YouTube channel has registered nearly 26 million subscribers and billions of views, with recent titles including "Girl Abandons Family After Getting Fame" and "Teacher Catches Teens Bullying Roblox Player." Across all social platforms, the brand claims an audience of more than 163 million followers.
Disney rationale and distribution plans
"Dhar has built a distinctive voice and an enormous global following, with stories that are uniquely his own," said Asad Ayaz, chief marketing and brand officer of The Walt Disney Company, and Debra OConnell, chairman of Disney Entertainment Television, in a joint statement. "He and his team have forged an extraordinary connection with their audience, and we believe their optimistic, deeply relatable storytelling will connect in a meaningful way with Disney fans." For Disney, the content would be distributed on its Verts platform on Disney+, extending short-form programming on the service.
Prior Fox Entertainment deal as backdrop
The Disney agreement comes after Dhar Mann Studios struck a similar pact with Fox Entertainment in January calling for an initial slate of 40 individual narrative videos. The Fox arrangement provides a comparable template for the Disney deal, though the new agreement is for 20 episodes rather than 40 vertical videos. Dhar Mann Studios has also worked with brands including Adobe, the NFL, and Gap, and produces original programming for distribution partners including Samsung TV Plus, where it has a FAST channel.
Founder's framing of the partnership
Founder Dhar Mann said the Disney deal carries personal significance beyond the commercial terms. "For me, this is so much bigger than a content deal," Mann said. "I grew up with Disney stories. Now I get to experience that same magic through the eyes of my own family, and the idea that we now have the opportunity to create stories for Disney for the next generation is incredibly meaningful to me." Mann added that the combination of Dhar Mann Studios' audience relationship and Disney's legacy is meant to expand how far the stories can travel.
Audience figures as reported
Reporting on the deal cites two different figures for Dhar Mann Studios' global following: more than 170 million followers globally with nearly 300 million views each week, and, across all social platforms, an audience of more than 163 million followers. The discrepancy in the totals is not reconciled in the available reporting.
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