The Walt Disney Company had a total of 179 million subscriptions across Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu as of the end of fiscal 2023 and plans to more than double the number of countries Disney+ is in to over 160 by fiscal 2023.
It has also created a new hub for international content creation under the direction of Rebecca Campbell as chairman, international content and operations.
In addition, the company is making several key executive appointments to its Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution (DMED) segment under the leadership of its chairman, Kareem Daniel.
In her newly expanded role, Campbell will focus on local and regional content production for Disney’s streaming services, as well as continue overseeing Disney’s international media teams worldwide, reporting directly to CEO Bob Chapek. The International Content and Operations group will be home to a fourth content-creation engine for the company, alongside the Studios Content, General Entertainment Content and Sports Content groups.
Meanwhile, Michael Paull has been promoted to the newly created role of president, Disney Streaming, with accountability for Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and Star+, and will oversee these platforms globally for Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, reporting to Daniel.
Joe Earley, who previously served as executive VP, marketing & operations for Disney+, has been named president of Hulu, and will report to Paull.
The streaming leadership team will also include a new head of Disney+, who has yet to be named, filling a role that Paull held previously. Russell Wolff continues to serve as head of ESPN+. These roles will also report to Paull.
Commenting on the changes, Chapek said: “Disney’s direct-to-consumer efforts have progressed at a tremendous pace in just a few short years, and our organisation has continued to grow and evolve in support of our ambitious global streaming strategy.
“Rebecca has played a vital role in orchestrating our global platform expansion, and I’m excited that she will be leading our new International Content group, bringing her expertise and talent to oversee the growing pipeline of original local and regional content for our streaming services while continuing to lead our international operations. Likewise, with a relentless focus on serving consumers, Kareem has developed an industry-leading team of seasoned executives who are uniquely equipped to take our streaming business into Disney’s next century”.
Disney is also investing significantly in the creation of original local and regional content for its streaming services, with more than 340 titles already in various stages of development and production.
