Disney is bringing one of YouTube’s biggest children’s brands into its streaming ecosystem. The company has signed a development and licensing agreement with 12-year-old Russian-American creator Like Nastya, whose real name is Anastasia Yuryevna Radzinskaya.
Under the pact, Like Nastya will develop an original animated preschool series for Disney Jr and Disney+, along with live-action programming aimed at kids, tweens, teens and families. Disney will also gain access to a selection of the creator’s existing library, with those titles available to distribute across Disney+ and other Disney-owned platforms.
What the deal includes
- An original animated preschool series for Disney Jr and Disney+
- Live-action programming for kids, tweens, teens and family audiences
- Licensing access to selected existing Like Nastya titles
- Distribution rights across Disney+ and other Disney-owned services
A franchise built on scale
The audience numbers explain why Disney is buying in. Since launching in 2016, Like Nastya has accumulated more than 450 million subscribers across 25 YouTube channels in 22 languages. Those channels have generated more than 275 billion lifetime views. The most-watched video on the network has passed 1.1 billion views, and a dozen more have each surpassed 700 million.
The brand has also expanded beyond YouTube into music, live entertainment, consumer products, gaming, licensing and brand partnerships. That makes Like Nastya closer to a multi-platform franchise than a single social channel.
Why the structure matters
The agreement is structured around two assets: new original programming and an existing, globally distributed library. That mirrors recent Netflix creator partnerships and reflects how subscription streaming services are building broader entertainment offerings instead of relying only on premium scripted and unscripted content.
For Disney, the benefit is speed and lower risk. Disney+ and Disney Jr get a preschool property with built-in audience recognition in multiple languages, rather than having to build a new franchise from zero. It also positions the deal across both a dedicated preschool brand and a broader streaming service, creating multiple windows for the same IP.
Anna Radzinskaia, Like Nastya’s mother, said the family is “incredibly proud” of the brand’s growth and described the Disney partnership as “an exciting opportunity to create something truly special for a new generation.”
The planner’s take
For media planners and entertainment marketers, this is another signal that YouTube-native IP is becoming a formal content supply line for major streaming platforms. Kids and family plans should start tracking creator-led titles as both programming options and potential sponsorship environments, especially in local-language and co-viewing segments. The scale here—450 million subscribers and a library already built for 22 languages—makes Like Nastya a ready-made global content engine rather than an experimental influencer test.
Source: C21media
