Disney Signs On With New Kids-Focused YouTube Ad Platform Lumee

Lumee, the recently launched YouTube advertising joint venture between Hasbro Entertainment and Animaj, has landed a major endorsement straight out of the gate, with Disney agreeing to let the company represent a selection of family-focused advertising inventory across several Disney YouTube channels.

The agreement is a significant early win for Lumee, which launched in March with ambitions to become a centralized marketplace for advertisers seeking to reach kids and family audiences through premium, brand-safe YouTube content. The represented inventory includes channels such as Disney Jr., Disney Kids, Star Wars Kids, Marvel HQ, and Nat Geo Kids.

It’s a platform that Animaj co-founder and CEO Sixte de Vauplane says needs a more organized monetization system. Speaking with us when the platform was unveiled, he explained:

YouTube has become the most dominant platform in the industry over the past few years. But in the meantime, YouTube monetizes very poorly for advertisers. There is a very big monetization crisis right now in the kids and family industry because YouTube is not doing what they are supposed to do, which is to provide a very strong monetization engine so that creators can finance their work.

Until now, Lumee’s portfolio has primarily featured content from Hasbro and Animaj. Bringing Disney into the fold immediately raises the venture’s profile and perceived legitimacy.

Disney remains one of the most influential names in family entertainment, and its willingness to partner with a newly formed platform signals confidence in Lumee’s pitch to advertisers at a time when concerns about brand safety on YouTube remain a major issue for marketers targeting younger audiences.

Lumee says the combined content and characters represented through its network generated more than 100 billion YouTube views in 2025. The company has emphasized a curated approach to ad placement, combining proprietary contextual technology with human oversight to ensure ads appear in appropriate environments.

Lumee Chairman is, understandably, enthusiastic about the new partnership:

By bringing together Disney, Hasbro, and Animaj, Lumee delivers the ultimate trusted standard for family marketing on YouTube. We’ve built a high-quality sanctuary where brands can connect with families at scale, backed by uncompromised safety and integrity

Disney executive Joe Blount, senior vice president of business operations for Disney Global Entertainment Networks, said the agreement expands the company’s focus on fostering safe spaces for kids and family audiences, while also bringing in the capital needed to support its brands:

Disney is committed to remaining a most trusted storyteller for families – on YouTube and everywhere our stories and characters appear. This new agreement with Lumee reflects our continued focus on expanding opportunities around brand safety and creating trusted, high-quality experiences for our audiences.