In wake of what's going on with the entertainment industry throughout the age of COVID, Disney recently announced a re-org that would shift the company's focus from major-release tentpoles to streaming content. This is yet more bad news for the theatrical exhibition side of film, but what does it mean for Disney themselves?
An internal memo from Peter Rice notified corporate Disney employees reiterated the company's decision to focus on streaming and split from its usual content creation channels.
“For our team, this means we will wholly focus our resources and efforts on developing, producing and marketing exceptional content to fuel the company’s streaming and linear platforms while our colleagues at Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution (DMED) will distribute and monetize that content and run the linear networks and streaming platforms.”
This re-shuffle includes a number of familiar names for those who keep a close eye on Disney's business dealings. DGE business operations Ravi Ahuja, ABC News president James Goldston, FX chairman John Landgraf, National Geographic Partners chairman Gary Knell, Disney Branded Television president and chief creative officer Gary Marsh, National Geographic Content President Courteney Monroe, and Walt Disney Television chairman of entertainment Dana Walden are all included in Rice's new leadership team. Also joining them will be Jayanta Jenkins, a transplant from Samsung Mobile, who will act as Head of Content for Disney+.
That block of names is also a solid reminder of just how many major media properties Disney has acquired over the years. Don't be shocked that Marvel and Fox studio heads are missing from this list - they're included under umbrellas outlined by larger departments. The Marvel won't just continue on as planned - their success is likely a huge part of this new streaming-focused plan.
