Like Nastya, one of YouTube's biggest kids' brands, just signed a content and development deal with Disney. The deal covers an animated preschool series for Disney Jr. and Disney+, new live-action projects, and licensing of the Like Nastya back catalog, all backed by 450 million+ subscribers. Hollywood didn't discover this creator, it came asking.
⚡ Key Takeaways
- Like Nastya signed its first development deal with a major entertainment company: Disney, announced September 17, 2026.
- The deal covers a Disney Jr./Disney+ animated preschool series, new live-action content and licensing of the Like Nastya library.
- The brand brings 450M+ subscribers across 25 YouTube channels in 22 languages, plus 275B+ lifetime views.
- Forbes estimated Like Nastya earned $18M in 2019 and $28M in 2021.
- It's part of a Disney creator run that includes Dhar Mann Studios, Gracie's Corner and Lenny Pearce.
- The lesson for creators: owning your audience and catalog is where the leverage comes from.
What actually happened?
Disney announced the deal on September 17, 2026, and Variety reports it is Like Nastya's first development deal with a major entertainment company. According to the Disney press release via The Futon Critic, the deal has three parts: an original animated preschool series for Disney Jr. and Disney+, live-action content for kids, tweens, teens and families, and a curated package of library content. No creative team, format or release date has been announced yet.
The scale is absurd. Deadline counts 25 YouTube channels in 22 languages with more than 450 million subscribers, and The Hollywood Reporter puts lifetime views above 275 billion.
This isn't an overnight success either. Forbes estimates compiled on Wikipedia put the channel at $18 million in 2019, 3rd among the world's highest-paid YouTubers, and $28 million in 2021.
| Metric | Like Nastya |
|---|---|
| YouTube subscribers | 450M+ |
| YouTube channels | 25 |
| Languages | 22 |
| Lifetime views | 275B+ |
| Forbes estimate, 2019 | $18M (3rd) |
| Forbes estimate, 2021 | $28M (6th) |
Why does this matter for creators?
Because the old pipeline just ran backwards. For a decade, YouTube got treated as an audition tape for TV. Like Nastya skipped the audition, built a global audience on its own, and let the studio come to it.
The library piece is the tell. Disney isn't only paying for new shows, it wants the videos the family already made, which means years of back catalog just became inventory a legacy studio will license. That only works because the creator owns the catalog and the audience. Rented reach doesn't get you a seat at this table.
It also kills the idea that creator content is too disposable for premium platforms. Nastya's videos started as family vlogs. Now they're a franchise with a Disney Jr. show in development.
"I'm incredibly proud of Anastasiia and how 'Like Nastya' has grown into a global brand loved by millions of families worldwide."
Anna Radzinskaia, Founder of Like Nastya, Variety
What's the bigger picture?
Disney is building a creator bench, not making a one-off bet. Deadline places this deal in a run that includes Dhar Mann Studios, Gracie's Corner and Lenny Pearce, plus a global content-sharing deal with TikTok. Kids' TV is losing screen time to creators, and the fastest way to win it back is to buy audiences that already exist.
So watch the terms, not the logo. The creators who land the best deals will be the ones who walk in owning their IP, their catalog and their direct relationship with fans. Everyone else gets a work-for-hire contract with nicer branding.
What does Fanvault think?
Fanvault's take: the audience is the asset, and whoever owns it sets the terms. Like Nastya is a kids' brand and Fanvault is an 18+ platform, so the lesson here is ownership, not a pitch, and it applies to every creator who will never get a call from Disney. That's why Fanvault runs on an 8% platform fee so creators keep 92% of every transaction, versus 15% at Fanvue, 10% + $0.30 at Passes and about 20% at Fanfix, because owning your revenue is the version of this deal every creator can actually sign.
Disney didn't make Like Nastya. It paid for what Like Nastya already owned.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Disney and Like Nastya deal?
It's a content and development deal announced September 17, 2026. Per the Disney press release, it includes an original animated preschool series for Disney Jr. and Disney+, new live-action content for kids, tweens, teens and families, and a curated selection of Like Nastya library content on Disney platforms.
How big is Like Nastya?
According to Deadline, Like Nastya has more than
When will the Like Nastya Disney Jr. show come out?
Disney hasn't announced a release date, creative team, format or characters for the animated series yet.
Which other creators has Disney signed deals with?
Deadline lists earlier Disney creator deals with Dhar Mann Studios, Gracie's Corner and Lenny Pearce, plus a global content-sharing deal with TikTok.
What does the Like Nastya deal mean for other creators?
It shows that studios now pay for audiences and catalogs that creators already built and own. The library-licensing part matters most: content a creator already made became something a legacy studio wants to buy. Creators who own their audience, IP and revenue have the most leverage.