Robert Iger restructures Disney’s Entertainment operations; Hulu's future in doubt

Robert Iger, who returned in a boardroom coup to become Disney’s CEO in November 2022, has started to sketch out a vision that involves slashing costs, simplifying expenditures in sports and general entertainment, and giving creative leaders more power. His plans to transform Walt Disney became clearer on Thursday as the company unveiled plans for a restructuring of its entertainment division and hinted that it would consider selling streaming service Hulu, as per report in the Wall Street Journal. In short, the new Disney organizational structure would place top entertainment executives in charge of all crucial commercial operations, including content distribution, programming budgets, and advertising sales. Those executives will be in charge of choosing and developing the series and movies the company produces, as well as deciding how to distribute (whether through a streaming platform or a traditional medium), promote and make money from them. The structure established by Bob Chapek, Iger’s predecessor, who had assigned those duties to business executives, has largely been undone by the reorganization. The previous strategy caused conflict within Disney because important creative leaders were dismayed by their loss of autonomy. Under Iger’s restructuring, three executives will be in charge of the company’s sizable entertainment and sports operations. As co-chair of the newly established Disney Entertainment unit, Dana Walden, who formerly oversaw Disney’s general entertainment division, will work alongside movie studio head Alan Bergman, who is in charge of brands including Pixar, Marvel, and LucasFilm. Jimmy Pitaro, chairman of ESPN, will take over the management of the technology, distribution, and ad sales for ESPN and its sister channels as well as the ESPN+ streaming platform. Ad sales, distribution, and technological operations will now be managed by Pitaro, Walden and Bergman. Iger is focusing more on family-friendly content and big-franchise stuff such as Star Wars and Marvel superhero content that can fuel the expansion of Disney+ streaming services as he restructures Disney’s entertainment strategy. The future of Disney’s Hulu and FX cable channels’ general entertainment programming and darker television shows and films is not certain. Creators whose work wouldn’t fit well on Disney+ or its cable networks, like Disney Channel and Freeform, have found a home on Hulu. According to Iger, the firm would produce fewer series and movies than before as part of the previously-planned cost reduction of $5.5 billion. He further stated that Disney would “aggressively curate” its general entertainment products, which include mature Hulu content like “The Kardashians,” “Pam & Tommy,” and “The Dropout” which draw a wider range of age groups. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.