Now, as the focus on Disney streaming intensifies, the company has announced further executive shakeups. Reuters reports that The Walt Disney Company today confirmed it had:
…consolidated its television studios into two units as the company restructures operations to emphasize streaming media.
Karey Burke, who has been president of ABC Entertainment, will now head the 20th Television unit, Disney said in a statement. Jonnie Davis will continue oversight of the second unit, called ABC Signature.
Credit: Disney/Lucasfilm
Benzinga shares additional details regarding the new restructuring:
Touchstone — previously known as Fox 21 — will be merged into 20th Television and its head Bert Salke, who oversaw the studio for the past ten years will move on to production after securing a $20 million deal, as per the Hollywood Reporter.
Salke is the only major executive to be laid off in the present round of restructuring and more executive redundancies are reportedly expected.
The Benzinga report also notes that Disney’s goal is to spur streaming growth — Disney+ has already beaten subscription estimates as people turn to at-home entertainment options — and focus on more original content.
If Disney’s latest executive restructuring allows them to create more content along the lines of Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian, they should be in good shape moving forward. The pandemic forced many highly-anticipated upcoming series — including Marvel’s WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Solider — to experience debut delays.
Now, however, Disney should be able to get back on track with production schedules in the near future.
Credit: Disney
In fact, a new Disney original movie, Godmothered, is set to release on Disney+ this week.
What do you think? Is Disney’s major new streaming focus a good thing?
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