YouTube and Disney form Partnership for Web Content

Despite CEO Bob Iger’s declarations that The Walt Disney Company needs to understand digital technology, the company as a whole still hasn’t quite figured it out. Disney Interactive has lost hundreds of millions of dollars and Disney.com is in the middle of a makeover, but meanwhile its traffic numbers plummet. One recent bright spot has been a little app for the iPhone called ‘Where’s my Water.’ Meant to take on the same crowd that plays ‘Angry Birds’ and their children, this alligator themed game has really taken off.So it makes sense that Disney’s new partnership with Youtube will feature content based on “Where’s my Water’ along with other Disney produced mini-series and amateur content.

Youtube hopes the deal will bring some of Disney’s more youthful audience to its digital shores and Disney is continuing to hunt for a way to be relevant online. For Youtube this also fits into their desire to become the web’s video destination. They’re adding themed hosted channels with many partners.

I hope this works for Disney. The strategy of trying to hide all Disney content behind the Disney.com wall hasn’t worked too well. I am curious to see what type of ‘amateur content’ makes its way to Disney’s new Youtube Channel. Will it be animation based, theme park trip videos, or what?

Read more about the deal in the NY Times.