Disney Signs Contract with Russian YouTube Channel Like Nastya

Who Is Behind Like Nastya

The Like Nastya channel is run by the family of 12-year-old Russian Anastasia Radzinskaya, who currently lives in the United States. The project is among the largest children's YouTube channels in the world: the brand's total audience is about 450 million subscribers.

The scale of the audience explains Disney's interest in the partnership. The world's largest family media holding gains access to a franchise with proven appeal to children, while Like Nastya — for the first time in its history — gets access to traditional platforms: television and global streaming.

Context

The deal with Like Nastya fits into Disney's strategy of working with content creators. It was previously reported that in the coming months the company will launch a program in the US to promote fan content published on TikTok in the Disney+ app.

Both initiatives demonstrate the same logic: Disney is integrating content created outside its own production infrastructure into its distribution channels. Instead of competing with user-generated content platforms, the company is choosing to cooperate with their biggest representatives.

For the advertising market and the children's content industry, the deal sets a benchmark. A total audience of 450 million subscribers allowed a YouTube project to negotiate directly with one of the world's largest media holdings on co-development terms — a format previously available mostly to traditional production studios.