In today’s Digest, we discuss Disney strengthening its European content slate with a ZDF deal, Anthropic settling its piracy case, and Perplexity’s new revenue model rewarding publishers for articles used by its AI.

Disney strengthens European content slate with ZDF deal

Disney has struck a new deal with German public broadcaster ZDF to host a curated collection of ZDF films and TV series on Disney+ in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The partnership will feature over 3,000 episodes and films by the end of the year. The content will carry ZDF branding under a “ZDF Films and Series” banner, expanding the range of German-produced content available on Disney+.

New seasons of select ZDF series will arrive on Disney+ months after airing on ZDF’s linear channels. The arrangement allows ZDF to promote its content to Disney+ subscribers who may not normally engage with the broadcaster, while maintaining its branding within the streaming interface.

Karl Holmes, GM for Disney+ EMEA, said the deal represents a milestone in Disney’s collaboration with European broadcasters. He added that ZDF’s films and series offer distinctive storytelling, and the partnership will bring more local content to Disney+ viewers in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

Anthropic settles piracy case

Anthropic has reached a settlement in a class action lawsuit filed by US authors accusing the AI company of copyright infringement. The agreement allows Anthropic to avoid a trial over claims that its Claude AI models were trained on pirated books. The settlement stems from a case filed last year by writers Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson.

Justin Nelson, attorney for the authors, said the agreement “will benefit all class members” and promised more details in the coming weeks. Anthropic declined to comment.

Perplexity’s new revenue model rewards publishers for articles used by AI to answer queries 

Perplexity will pay publishers for news articles its AI uses to answer queries. The company announced a USD$42.5m (£31.6m) revenue pool for the program, which will grow over time. Payments will come from subscription revenue generated by a new service, Comet Plus, set to launch widely this fall. Publishers will receive 80% of Comet Plus revenue, including from higher subscription tiers that provide the service for free.

Perplexity also designed its new revenue model using feedback from publishers in its ad revenue share program, according to Jessica Chan, head of publisher partnerships. Current participants include Blavity, Der Spiegel, Fortune, Gannett, The Independent, and Time.

Subscription revenue from Perplexity’s Pro, Max, and $5 (£3.72) Comet Plus tiers is pooled. The company keeps 20%, while 80% goes to participating publishers. Payments are based on direct visits to publisher sites through Comet, when content is cited in AI search answers, and when content helps Comet’s AI complete tasks. Perplexity is among the first AI companies to compensate publishers based on content usage.

Jessica Chan told Digiday publishers could earn “millions” from the program but did not disclose which participants from Perplexity’s existing program have signed up for Comet Plus.