The Walt Disney Co. is bringing one of YouTube’s biggest sports-and-comedy brands deeper into its entertainment empire, striking a company-wide creative partnership with Dude Perfect that spans original programming, sports, consumer products and experiences.

Announced Oct. 15, the agreement will see Dude Perfect develop original content for its own channels inspired by Disney franchises and major events, with select videos also distributed on Disney+. Disney will additionally gain access to a selection of the group’s existing short-form library for distribution across Disney+, ESPN and its social platforms.

The partnership’s marquee opportunities include Super Bowl LXI, the 50th anniversary of Star Wars and Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday . The companies have not disclosed financial terms or a detailed production schedule.

The deal represents a significant step in Disney’s efforts to integrate digital creators into its broader entertainment and brand strategy. Rather than treating creator collaborations as isolated promotional campaigns, the company is positioning Dude Perfect as a creative partner whose reach can extend across multiple divisions, from streaming and sports to merchandise and in-person experiences.

“Disney has always been a place where great storytellers come to create, and Dude Perfect brings a distinctive voice and an inventive approach to everything they do,” said Asad Ayaz, Disney’s chief marketing and brand officer. “By building on our longstanding relationship, we’re able to give fans even more ways to experience and be part of the Disney stories they love.”

For Dude Perfect , the agreement provides access to Disney’s expansive portfolio of entertainment properties and cultural tentpoles while allowing the group to continue producing for its own audience. The company has built its business around elaborate trick shots, sports challenges, comedy and competition-driven videos, making it a natural fit for collaborations that can combine recognizable intellectual property with participatory stunts and family-friendly spectacle.

“We’ve been Disney kids forever, from wearing out the VHS tape of The Lion King to making core memories as a family at Disney World,” said Dude Perfect co-founder Garrett Hilbert. “Disney taught us to go big and dream, and that has shaped everything we’ve built. Now, we get to make more of those dreams come to life with the Disney team, and we can’t wait to bring our fans along for the ride.”

The companies already have a working relationship.

Last year, Dude Perfect attempted to visit all 12 Disney parks around the world in less than 75 hours. The resulting YouTube video became the channel’s second-best-performing upload in its first 24 hours, generating more than 13 million views. The project also supported a fundraising campaign that raised more than $1.2 million for Make-A-Wish, according to Disney.

Founded in 2009, Dude Perfect has grown from a group of friends posting basketball trick shots into a substantial digital entertainment business. The company says it has amassed more than 130 million followers and over 22 billion lifetime views. Its operations now extend beyond online video to live touring, consumer products and the “Almost Athletes” podcast.

The group has also invested in the infrastructure to support that expansion. Dude Perfect operates an approximately 80,000-square-foot headquarters and production facility in Frisco, Texas, and raised $100 million from Highmount Capital in 2024 to fund its next phase of growth, including products and experiences, according to The Hollywood Reporter .

For Disney, the deal follows a broader push to build relationships with creators and make its franchises more accessible to audiences who increasingly discover entertainment through social video. The company has recently pursued creator-focused initiatives involving Dhar Mann and Like Nastya, as well as a partnership with TikTok designed to bring creator-made Disney-related content into the Disney+ experience.

Those efforts reflect a larger strategic question facing traditional entertainment companies: how to translate the reach and engagement of digital-native talent into durable businesses across streaming, advertising, licensing and live experiences.

Dude Perfect offers a particularly useful model because its appeal extends beyond a single personality or genre. Its team-based format , family audience and stunt-driven videos lend themselves to repeatable concepts that can be adapted around film releases, sports events and Disney’s theme parks.

A Marvel-themed “Overtime” segment, for example, could serve as social content while also helping sustain audience interest in Avengers: Doomsday . A Star Wars-inspired challenge could connect franchise promotion with the group’s established visual-comedy and competition format.

The Super Bowl tie-in is also notable. Super Bowl LXI, scheduled for Feb. 14, 2027, will be distributed through ESPN and ABC, with Disney+ also carrying ESPN’s presentation of the game. The event offers an opportunity to connect Disney’s sports business with creator-led programming around one of the biggest annual moments in American entertainment. The specific Dude Perfect activation has not yet been detailed.

The arrangement does not, however, mean that Dude Perfect’s channels are becoming Disney-exclusive or that the group’s entire video library will move to Disney+. The announcement describes selected library programming and original content inspired by Disney franchises and events, with distribution across the group’s own channels and selected Disney platforms.

Financial terms, specific merchandise plans and any theme-park activations have not been announced. But the company-wide scope suggests Disney sees the relationship as more than a short-term marketing play.

The larger opportunity is to connect the creator economy’s speed, audience intimacy and social reach with Disney’s established franchises and physical entertainment footprint.

If the partnership delivers, it could offer a blueprint for how Hollywood studios work with digital-native businesses—not simply to advertise movies and shows, but to build entertainment experiences that move between online video, streaming, sports, products and real-world attractions.

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