Disney Details Strategic Restructuring; Dana Walden, Alan Bergman to Oversee Both Disney+ and Hulu in New Roles
thewrap.comThe Walt Disney Company announced details Thursday of its strategic restructuring, which will, according to an official release, “refocus the organization on creativity, empower creative leaders and ensure they are accountable for all aspects of their businesses globally, and put the company’s streaming business on a path to sustained growth and profitability.” This offers some clarification and insight into the expanded roles of top executives Alan Bergman, Dana Walden and Jimmy Pitaro, first announced during the February 2023 earnings call with CEO Bob Iger on Wednesday.
Thursday’s announcement states that, effective immediately, the company will be organized into (and around) three business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN and Disney Parks, Experiences and Products (aka DPEP, which was created by Iger in 2018).
The official release stresses that “the leaders of each business segment will have full operational control and financial responsibility for creative development, marketing, technology, sales, and distribution, and will be accountable for driving business efficiencies globally.”This is a direct rebuttal to the way that Chapek had restructured the company, taking power away from creative executives and putting it into a new unit that was dictating dissemination and ad sales for all Disney product, including theatrical and Disney+ content.
The unit was responsible for distribution, operations, sales, and advertising data and technology across all Disney content and reeked of the Strategic Planning division that was a hallmark of the Michael Eisner administration.
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