Fiction
Disney and OpenAI strike first-of-its-kind Sora content pact
MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company and OpenAI have sealed a landmark three-year deal that brings more than 200 beloved characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars into Sora, OpenAI’s short-form generative video platform. The move marks the first major content licensing partnership for Sora and signals a new chapter in how fans can play with – and participate in – the magic of Disney storytelling.
Under the agreement, users will be able to generate short, prompt-based videos featuring animated, masked and creature characters, complete with iconic costumes, props and worlds. ChatGPT Images will also turn simple text into fully formed images using the same library. The arrangement excludes talent likenesses and voices, keeping the focus firmly on character-driven creativity.
Disney will also become a significant OpenAI customer, adopting its APIs to build new tools and experiences across the company, including for Disney+, and rolling out ChatGPT internally for staff. To deepen the partnership, Disney will invest 1 billion dollars in OpenAI and receive warrants for additional equity.
Both companies have put responsible AI at the heart of the collaboration. They have pledged strict safety measures, age-appropriate policies and robust controls to prevent illegal or harmful content. The commitment also includes protecting creator rights and ensuring that individuals retain control over the use of their likeness.
Fans will soon be able to watch curated Sora-generated videos on Disney+, while OpenAI and Disney teams work together to develop fresh experiences for subscribers. The first wave of fan-inspired Disney-powered Sora videos is expected in early 2026.
Characters available to creators will range from Mickey, Minnie and Moana to Elsa, Simba, Baymax and the worlds of Encanto, Toy Story and Zootopia, alongside animated or illustrated favourites from Marvel and Lucasfilm including Black Panther, Iron Man, Loki, Darth Vader and Yoda.
Disney CEO Robert A. Iger said the collaboration represents a pivotal moment for entertainment, adding that Disney hopes to extend its storytelling reach through AI while protecting the artists behind the magic. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called Disney the gold standard for storytelling and said the partnership shows how creative leaders and AI innovators can work together for the benefit of fans everywhere.
The deal now moves to final approvals and closing conditions, but one thing is already clear. For fans, creators and curious newcomers alike, the worlds of imagination are about to get a lot more hands-on.
Fiction
Banijay merges with All3Media in $6.65 billion deal
Marco Bassetti will lead the combined company as CEO
PARIS: Six years after acquiring Endemol Shine at the height of the pandemic, Banijay has struck again. The European production heavyweight is merging with All3Media in a deal that will create a television titan with $6.65 billion in revenue and redraw the contours of a fast-consolidating market.
The combined company will trade under the Banijay name and be owned 50 per cent each by Banijay Group and RedBird IMI, which acquired All3Media in 2024. The transaction is expected to close by autumn, subject to regulatory approvals.
Banijay Entertainment CEO Marco Bassetti, will take the top job at the enlarged group. All3Media CEO Jane Turton becomes deputy CEO. RedBird IMI CEO Jeff Zucker will serve as chairman.
The logic is scale. Broadcasters are commissioning less, streamers are tightening budgets and global buyers are fewer but bigger. Against that backdrop, heft matters. The merged entity will generate roughly $6.65 billion in revenues based on 2024 figures, giving it sharper elbows in rights negotiations and deeper pockets for franchise-building.
“Entrepreneurialism, ambition and creativity” remain core to Banijay’s DNA, Bassetti said, flagging plans to invest more heavily in new intellectual property, live events and emerging platforms. Turton struck a similarly bullish note, pointing to All3Media’s journey from a 2003 start-up to a global supplier of hit formats and high-end drama.
Between them, the two groups control a formidable slate. Banijay’s catalogue spans MasterChef, Big Brother, Survivor, Black Mirror, Peaky Blinders and Deal or No Deal. All3Media’s labels include Studio Lambert, producer of The Traitors and Squid Game: The Challenge; Two Brothers, behind The Tourist; and Neal Street, currently producing the forthcoming Beatles biopics directed by Sam Mendes for Sony.
The back catalogue is equally muscular. Banijay Rights holds some 220,000 hours, while All3Media International adds around 35,000 hours, forming one of the industry’s largest libraries.
Banijay, controlled by French entrepreneur Stéphane Courbit and listed in Amsterdam, counts more than 130 production companies across 25 territories. All3Media operates over 40 labels, with strong positions in the UK, US and Germany. The enlarged group will also lean into live entertainment, building on Banijay’s Balich Wonder Studio, which produced the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, and the Independents.
The deal marks a shift in tone. As recently as October, Bassetti suggested that mergers and acquisitions were not a priority. But the drumbeat of consolidation has grown louder. Mediawan has moved for Peter Chernin’s North Road. David Ellison’s Paramount has agreed to a $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros, with plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount plus. ITV has explored selling its media and entertainment arm to Comcast-owned Sky, though talks have reportedly slowed.
