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Credit: Edited by Inside the MagicDisney has just elected a new Head Of Production for Disney Entertainment Television, and she is ready to shake up the game.
Disney’s Entertainment Television division, part of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, is responsible for creating and producing television content for the company. This division plays a key role in developing a wide range of TV shows, including both scripted and unscripted programming, to be broadcast on various Disney-owned channels and platforms.
The content produced by Disney’s Entertainment Television division spans various genres and is tailored for different demographics, including children, families, and adults. This includes animated series, live-action shows, reality programs, and more.
Carol Turner has been appointed Head Of Production for Disney Entertainment Television, after her successful foray with shows like 9-1-1 (ABC), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), High Potential (ABC) and Only Murders in the Building (Hulu), as well as the upcoming series American Sports Story (FX), Tracker (CBS) and many others.
While Turner assumed the role last spring as part, it has since expanded. As noted by Deadline, “Turner now overseeing physical production and backlot functions for both the studios and platforms including 20th Television, ABC Signature, ABC Entertainment, FX Productions, Disney+, Hulu, Freeform and Onyx Collective, with a purview of over 100 current series and pilots.”
“Carol is a proven leader with the unique ability to deftly navigate production challenges and support the creative vision of our creators,” said Eric Schrier, President of Disney Television Studios and Global Original Television Strategy, to whom Turner will report. “Just a few months into her new role, she has already made a major impact in how we manage our productions across Disney Entertainment Television.”
Before her arrival at ABC Signature in 2020, Turner held significant roles, including EVP of Physical Production at Skydance, the pioneering director of Production for International Originals at Netflix, and SVP of Production and VP of Production at BBC Worldwide Production, where she supervised both Scripted and Unscripted Series.
Turner has a robust production background spanning TV, film, unscripted, and scripted content, with a career that began in 1995. She progressed from a production assistant to a line producer before making the shift to the corporate side in 2011.
During an investor call in late 2023, the CEO of Disney outlined the company’s objective to achieve profitability in its streaming business by the end of the following year.
A key element of this strategy involves the introduction of a new service slated to launch next spring, merging Disney+ and Hulu. Turner’s contributions to this platform are expected to play a significant role in achieving this goal.
This ambition has been a long-standing focus for Disney since the inception of its Netflix rival, Disney+, in 2019. The company has invested substantial resources in acquiring subscribers, exploring ad-supported tiers, offering service bundles (combinations of Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+), and adjusting prices to attract and retain viewers.
During a short span of three months, Disney+ witnessed an addition of 7 million new subscribers, primarily on ad-supported tiers, bringing the total global subscriber base to 150 million. While this might seem modest compared to Netflix’s 247 million customers, the growth is noteworthy, especially considering Netflix gained 9 million subscribers while Max (formerly HBO Max) lost 700,000 in the same period.
Citing successful productions like The Kardashians and the Star Wars series Ahsoka, and The Mandalorian, the CEO expressed confidence that Disney’s streaming offerings could achieve profitability by the end of 2024. The recent performances reinforce their belief that they are on the right path to realizing this objective.
Lucky for Turner, while not yet profitable, Disney’s Television Entertainment division is far more successful than their current theatrical releases, which have been losing more money than they are making.
Related: Disney CEO Bob Iger Replacement Predicted, Experts Confirm
As shared by Movie Web, “Disney is facing the worst year they have had in many years. It feels like their box office domination of 2019 is so far away, and the cracks are starting to form in the company. The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted Disney, and it is still recovering from it.” The platform continued, “Disney CEO Robert Iger recently announced a planned reduction in both content spending and creation at Disney, specifically regarding the Marvel and Star Wars franchises, which Iger believes have been lessened by a surge of Marvel and Star Wars television shows in recent years.”
We have seen movies like Disney’s Wish tank at the box office, barely breaking even after months, which was not expected as the new animated film was meant to be the next Frozen, celebrating the 100-year anniversary of The Walt Disney Company. Even Marvel is faltering, with The Marvels having the worst-ever Marvel movie debut to date. We have also seen the company face controversy for their more diverse casting and character choices, including Halle Bailey in The Little Mermaid and Rachel Zegler in the upcoming Snow White.
Related: ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ Star on Disney Reboot: “You Guys Suck”
Overall, Turner will have to bring the entertainment division to success after the recent wave of layoffs, and work towards Iger’s goal of making their direct-to-consumer sector profitable.
What changes would you like to see come to the Disney television department?