NextFin News - On December 11, 2025, Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger joined OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street to discuss a new three‑year licensing agreement that will allow OpenAI’s short‑form video tool Sora (and related ChatGPT image features) to generate user‑prompted social videos using more than 200 characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars. The on‑air conversation took place in the immediate wake of the companies’ announcement and aired on CNBC’s market‑day program. The two executives explained the rationale for the deal, its limits and how they expect it to be used.
Why Disney entered the agreement
Bob Iger described the arrangement as a strategic opportunity for the company to engage audiences on a leading media platform. He said the deal gives consumers a new way to "engage with our characters on what is probably the most modern of technology and media platforms today." Iger framed the partnership as a way for Disney to "be a part" of rapid growth in AI and new forms of entertainment rather than risk being left behind, calling it "a great opportunity for the company" and "a way in, of sorts, for us to appreciate even more what is obviously something that has significance in terms of the long‑term impact on our business."
Scope of the license: what is and is not included
Iger was explicit about the license boundaries. He said the agreement covers roughly 200 characters for use in Sora, but it does not grant rights to actors’ names, likenesses or voices. In his words: We are not including name and likeness, nor are we including character voices.
He also underscored that the licensing is focused on characters and related costumes, props and environments for short user videos rather than full‑length content.
Creator protections and guardrails
Addressing concerns from creators, Iger emphasized that the arrangement was designed to respect and compensate creative contributors. He said the deal both "respects and values our creativity" and includes a license fee, adding that the partnership enables Disney to be comfortable that OpenAI will implement controls around usage. He told viewers: OpenAI is putting guardrails essentially around how these are used, so that really there's nothing for us to be concerned about from a consumer perspective.
Iger repeated that the combination of licensing and operational controls means the initiative should not represent a threat to creators.
Short‑form focus and limits on generated content
Both executives stressed the short‑form nature of the materials targeted by Sora. Iger noted the emphasis on brief social clips, reminding the audience: Let's be mindful of the fact that these are 30‑second videos. So we're not talking about creating either shorts or movies for that matter.
That emphasis on short, shareable videos framed the product use case and the company’s comfort with limited formats.
How OpenAI views the partnership and user creativity
Sam Altman praised Disney’s storytelling legacy and described the agreement as a natural fit for users who want to connect with beloved characters. He called Disney "the greatest storytelling company in the world, bar none," and said Sora users have been asking for sanctioned access to those characters. Altman explained his view of the broader creative potential, saying that when tools lower the effort and skill required to create, people quickly bring ideas to life: We have underestimated the amount of latent creativity in the world, that if you lower the effort, skill, time required to create new things, people very quickly are able to bring ideas to life and make new kinds of entertainment, art, code, all sorts of things with this new tool of AI.
Expected product and distribution uses
Both executives outlined practical uses beyond consumer creation. Iger said Disney will feature a curated selection of user‑generated Sora videos on Disney+ and that the company plans to use OpenAI’s technology internally, including deploying ChatGPT for employees. He also noted that the partnership makes Disney a major OpenAI customer for APIs to build new features and experiences. Altman said he hoped the collaboration would "unleash a sort of a whole new way that people use this technology," and that the deal could help establish a model for rights holders and AI companies to work together.
On safety, moderation and the company stance toward other AI actors
Iger reiterated that Disney has been aggressive in protecting its intellectual property when it believes third parties have not respected it. In the joint interview he referenced prior legal steps the company has taken and positioned the licensing deal as a constructive alternative to unauthorized use. He emphasized safety and moderation partnered with licensing as the mechanism that allows Disney to extend its characters into the generative AI space responsibly.
References and related materials:
- OpenAI — The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI reach landmark agreement to bring beloved characters to Sora (December 11, 2025)
- The Walt Disney Company — The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI Reach Agreement to Bring Disney Characters to Sora
- TheWrap — Bob Iger Insists $1 Billion OpenAI Deal Is Not a Threat to Disney Creators (coverage of CNBC appearance)
- TechCrunch — Disney signs deal with OpenAI to allow Sora to generate AI videos featuring its characters
- The Verge — OpenAI's billion‑dollar Disney deal puts Mickey Mouse and Marvel in Sora
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