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☆ Disney technology executive Aaron LaBerge to leave company for personal reasons
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Walt Disney company logo is displayed on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on Dec. 1, 2023. Aaron LaBerge, the chief technology officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN, is leaving the company, according to an internal memo. LaBerge is leaving for personal reasons related to his family and will stay on at Disney until June, the memo said. At ESPN, LaBerge has been a central figure behind the company's streaming services, including ESPN+, the upcoming sports streaming application co-owned by Disney, Warner Bros. They include former CEO Bob Chapek, former head of streaming Kevin Mayer, ex-finance chief Christine McCarthy, former Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn, former Disney general counsel Alan Braverman, ex-head of communications Zenia Mucha, and former president of Walt Disney Pictures, Sean Bailey.

Persons: Aaron LaBerge, LaBerge, He'll, He's, Bob Chapek, Kevin Mayer, Christine McCarthy, Alan Horn, Alan Braverman, Zenia Mucha, Sean Bailey, Aaron, Jimmy Pitaro, Dana Walden, Alan Bergman, Chris Lawson, Paul Allen Organizations: Walt Disney, New York Stock Exchange, Disney Entertainment, ESPN, PENN Entertainment, ESPN Bet, Disney, Hulu, Warner Bros . Discovery, Fox, Walt Disney Studios, Walt Disney Pictures, ESPN BET, Company, Starwave

☆ Disney beat back activist investor Nelson Peltz. Now the real work begins
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

That would mark a milestone for the company, which launched Disney+ on Nov. 12, 2019. It would be the first time Disney showed it can make money from Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. Disney will need to sustain and grow streaming profit to justify Iger's five-year-old strategy to go "all in" on the segment. Disney has already offered ESPN+, a sports streaming service that has some but not all of ESPN's content. Trian Partners' Nelson Peltz, who failed to join Disney's board Wednesday after securing just 31% of the vote, publicly questioned what he has called Disney's "woke" content strategy.

Persons: Bob Iger, Sun Valley , Idaho David A, Iger, Disney, they've, Cowen, Doug Creutz, Needham, Laura Martin, Gabby Jones, David Greenbaum, Sean Bailey, Alan Bergman, Indiana Jones, Nelson Peltz, Peltz, shouldn't, Bob Chapek, He'll, Bergman, Jimmy Pitaro, Josh D'Amaro, Dana Walden, They've, Cowen's, you've, That's, it's, — CNBC's Sarah Whitten, Needman's Martin Organizations: Disney, Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference, Grogan, CNBC Disney, Disney Disney, Hulu, ESPN, Co, Warner Bros . Discovery, Fox, CNBC, Athletic, Bloomberg, Getty, Marvel, Star Wars, Searchlight, Walt Disney Motion, Disney Entertainment, Century Fox, Sony, Disney's Marvel Studios, Trian Partners, Financial Times, Resorts, Iger Locations: Sun Valley , Idaho, Brooklyn , New York, Iger, Parks, Disney

☆ How Dana Walden could defy critics and become Disney's first female CEO
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +22 min

The appointment would make Walden the first female CEO of the Walt Disney Co. in its 100-year history. "Anybody they choose will have never been the Disney CEO prior to that." At Disney, Walden has hit several home runs, including FX's "The Bear," Hulu's "The Dropout" and "Only Murderers in the Building," and ABC's "Abbott Elementary." Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek CNBCChapek climbed the corporate ladder at Disney for 30 years by showcasing his business and finance chops. Combating female stereotypesIf Walden were appointed CEO, she would be the first woman to run the century-old company.

Persons: Dana Walden, Disney Entertainment Rich Polk, Peter Chernin, Rupert, Walden, Bob Iger, he'd, Fox, Chernin, Peter Roth, Roth, Peter Chernin Getty, Josh D'Amaro, Jimmy Pitaro, Alan Bergman, Nelson, Peltz, Iger, Bob Chapek, Walden's, Bergman, she's, hasn't, —, Walden —, Dana doesn't, Jennifer Salke, Jennifer Salke Stephen Desaulniers, CNBC Walden, Richard Plepler, Craig Hunegs, Carol Burnett's, Carrie Hamilton, George Burns, Dean Martin, roasts, Martin, Buddy Hackett, Matt Walden, Bender, Goldman, she'd, Arsenio, Lucie Sulhany, Dana Walden Jason Laveris, Gary Newman, Newman, It's, Dana, Ryan Murphy, John Landgraf, Jan, Seth MacFarlane, Guy, Tuck, MacFarlane, Murphy, Steve Levitan, Dan Fogelman, Rick Rosen, Rosen, Howard Gordon, Levitan, Peter Rice, Rice, wasn't, Chapek, Rich Appel, Gary, it's, Percy Jackson, didn't, Bob Chapek CNBC Chapek, showrunners, Scarlett Johansson, Kristina Schake, Jay Sures, Sures, Amazon's Salke, Greta Gerwig, Gloria, Murphy's, Miss Jones, There's, Steve Levitan Peter, Hopper, Critics, She's, Salke, WME's Rosen Organizations: Disney Entertainment, Getty, Century Fox Filmed Entertainment, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, Walt Disney Co, Century Fox, Fox, Century Fox Television, Warner Bros, Disney, ESPN, Entertainment, CNBC, Trian Partners, Iger, Amazon Studios, HBO, Disney TV Studios, Hollywood, Westlake School for Girls, Harvard, Westlake School, The Friars Club, University of Southern, Paramount, Paramount Domestic Television, Filmmagic, Fox Broadcasting, Walden, CBS, FX Networks, Bob Chapek CNBC, Indiana University, Michigan State University, United Talent Agency, Hulu Locations: Santa Barbara , California, Walden, Brentwood , California, She's, Disney's, Studio City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, University of Southern California, Chapek, Hollywood, Walden's, Iger, America

☆ Debra OConnell to Oversee News at Disney
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( John Koblin | More About John Koblin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Walt Disney Company announced on Wednesday that a longtime executive at the company, Debra OConnell, would become the president of a newly created division that will include ABC News and the company’s local stations. Image Debra OConnell will become the president of a newly created division that will include ABC News and the company’s local stations. Credit... Randy Shropshire/Variety, via Getty ImagesThe reorganization mirrors what has taken place at other network news divisions. Several executives at NBC News report to Cesar Conde, the chairman of the so-called NBCUniversal news group, a division that includes local news and cable networks like MSNBC. Wendy McMahon, the president of CBS News, also oversees local stations.

Persons: Debra OConnell, OConnell, ” Kim Godwin, Debra, ” Dana Walden, Randy Shropshire, Cesar Conde, Wendy McMahon Organizations: Walt Disney Company, ABC, America, ABC News, Disney Entertainment, Variety, Getty, NBC, MSNBC, CBS News

☆ Big M&A and Bob Iger's future: 13 media executives make their anonymous 2024 predictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-20 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

Executive 2: Bob Iger will, again, extend his contract as Disney CEO Earlier this year, Disney CEO Bob Iger renewed his contract through 2026. This executive predicted "fool me five times, shame on me." This executive predicted Peltz and Rasulo will win their campaign and both join the board. This person predicted Disney would purchase privately held Candle Media to acquire Moonbug Entertainment, the owner of CoComelon. This executive predicted Yaccarino would either lose patience or find her job increasingly pointless and leave the company in 2024.

Persons: Andrew Ross Sorkin, Walt Disney Company Bob Iger, Michael M, David Zaslav, Slaven Vlasic, NBCUniversal, Brian Roberts, Roberts, Donna Langley, Bob Iger, Iger, Nelson Peltz, Jay Rasulo, Marco Bello, Peltz, Rasulo, Disney's, Dana Walden, Dana Walden Jason Laveris, Disney Entertainment Dana Walden, Walden, Bob Chapek, Andrew Wilson, Wilson, Chris Licht wouldn't, McCarthy, Andrew Wilson Michael Newberg, Kevin Mayer, Mayer, Bryan van der Beek, Tom Staggs, Staggs, Jayson Tatum, Kyle Terada, NBCUniversal's Peacock, Alec Martinez, Gray, Discovery's Max, Jeff Zucker, Lady Michelle Obama's, Michelle Obamas, Cheriss, Gerry Cardinale, Jeff Shell, RedBird, Shari Redstone's, David Ellison, Byron Trott, Zucker, Mark Thompson, Linda Yaccarino, X Linda Yaccarino, Vox, Jerod Harris, Yaccarino, CNBC's Julia Boorstin, Boorstin, Elon Musk's, Jason LaVeris, Barbie, Mario, Oppenheimer, LightShed's Greenfield Organizations: Walt Disney Company, New York Times, Santiago, Getty, Jazz, Lincoln Center, Warner Bros ., Comcast, Warner Bros, Discovery, Disney, Trian Fund Management, Future Investment Initiative, Summit, Bloomberg, Filmmagic, Disney Entertainment, Electronic Arts, CNBC, Candle Media, Iger, Media, Moonbug Entertainment, Apple Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, USA, National Basketball Association, NBA, Apple, The College, ESPN, College, NHL, MLB, Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, Mobile, National Hockey League, Diamond Sports Group, Scripps, Gray Television, Las Vegas Golden Knights, Arizona Coyotes, Phoenix Suns, Street Journal, Netflix, Hulu, Max, Paramount, RedBird, Paramount Global, CNN Worldwide, CNN, NurPhoto, BDT, The Ritz, Carlton, FilmMagic, Mario Bros Locations: New York City, Disney, Miami , Florida, Las Vegas , Nevada, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point , California

☆ After year of ‘fixing things,’ Bob Iger tells Disney employees his plans to reshape the company for the future
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Iger has had nothing short of a full plate since retaking the throne of the Magic Kingdom last year. He’s been tasked with repositioning ESPN in a direct-to-consumer future, reversing the company’s faltering creative engine (e.g. In short, it’s been a demanding 12 months for the legendary Disney chief — something Iger was not shy about. But it is still unclear what Iger would like to do with some of the company’s declining television assets, namely ABC. “I’ve been through some difficult times and faced a lot of adversity as a company,” Iger told Disney employees, “and I know that each time we get through it.”

Persons: Bob Iger, Iger, David Muir, He’s, it’s, ” “, ” Iger, “, I’ve, he’s, Will, Muir, ”, Dana Walden, ” Walden, Jimmy Pitaro, Mickey Mouse, ” Pitaro, Pitaro Organizations: CNN, New Amsterdam Theatre, Disney, “, ABC, Magic, ESPN, Marvel Studios, Hulu, Hollywood, Walt Disney Company, ABC News, Disney Entertainment Locations: New York City, —, Israel

☆ Disney CEO Bob Iger says company is ready to start building
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger attends the Nominees Luncheon for the 95th Oscars in Beverly Hills, California, U.S. February 13, 2023. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 28 (Reuters) - Walt Disney (DIS.N) CEO Bob Iger told employees that he faced a "myriad of challenges" upon returning to the company but remained upbeat about its prospects. "I feel that we’ve just emerged from a period of a lot of fixing to one of building again," Iger said. The meeting marks the one-year anniversary of Iger's first town hall since rejoining the company as chief executive in November 2022. Disney has undergone a transformation under Iger, who restructured the company and streamlined operations to make the business more cost effective.

Persons: Bob Iger, Mario Anzuoni, Walt Disney, “, ” Iger, I've, Iger, Alan Bergman, Dana Walden, Jimmy Pitaro, Josh D’Amaro, Nelson Peltz, Bob Chapek, Scarlett Johansson, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Disney, Dawn Chmielewski, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Walt Disney Company, REUTERS, New Amsterdam Theatre, Disney Entertainment, ESPN, Walt, New York Times, Disney, Florida Governor, Thomson Locations: Beverly Hills , California, U.S, Iger's, Burbank , California, New York

☆ Disney CEO Bob Iger tells employees he wants to start building again during town hall
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger told employees Tuesday during an internal town hall that he is looking forward to "building again" after spending 2023 mending parts of the business that "needed attention." After speaking alone for about 15 minutes, Iger was joined by Disney head of parks and resorts Josh D'Amaro, ESPN chief Jimmy Pitaro, and Disney Entertainment co-chairs Dana Walden and Alan Bergman. Disney said this month it projects to save $7.5 billion this year, largely through job elimination and content spending rollbacks. "What Bob and I have talked about is we don't just want to flip the switch," Pitaro said. "We don't want to just move our networks over and make them available over the top without significant product enhancements."

Persons: Bob Iger, Iger, David Muir, Josh D'Amaro, Jimmy Pitaro, Dana Walden, Alan Bergman, Disney's, Disney, Pitaro, Bob Organizations: Disney, ABC News, New York's, ESPN, Disney Entertainment, Pixar, Marvel Locations: New, New York's Amsterdam

☆ Disney's wildest ride: Iger, Chapek and the making of an epic succession mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +88 min

Iger told Chapek that he lived for those "two-shower days," according to people familiar with the conversation. In January 2020, Iger told Chapek the plan was back on. During his 27 years at the company, Chapek had only attended one annual meeting — as a guest in the audience. Bob Iger, Disney CEO, during a CNBC interview, Feb. 9, 2023. WATCH: Disney CEO Bob Iger's exclusive July 2023 CNBC interviewTake the 'A'During Chapek's tenure as CEO, Disney lost more than a quarter of its market value.

Persons: Elham, Bob Iger, Bob Chapek, Iger, wasn't, Chapek, Michael Eisner, —, who's, he's, Clint Eastwood, Eastwood, Arthur Bochner, Jackie Hart, Kareem Daniel, Chapek —, Eisner, Michael Ovitz, Ovitz, Bob, Disney's, Kevin Mayer, Mayer, Bryan van der Beek, he'd, Tom Staggs, Staggs, Staggs —, Steve Jobs, cajoled Ike Perlmutter, George Lucas, Rupert Murdoch, Iger's, Susan Arnold, Arnold, Peter Rice, David Paul Morris, Rice, CNBC's Julia Boorstin, Mark Parker, Mary Barra, Michael Froman, Willow, Parker, John Donahoe, Roy Disney, Walt Disney, Stanley Gold, David A, CNBC Eisner, Big Bob, Little Bob, Christine McCarthy, Patrick T, He'd, McCarthy, Iger —, Coronavirus, Gavin Newsom, Michael Kovac, curtly, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Ben Smith, Smith, Disney, Randy Shropshire, Agnes Chu, Ricky Strauss, Chu, Strauss, Kevin Feige, Kathleen Kennedy, Who's, Alan Bergman, Bergman, Bob Kyncl, Daniel —, Iger didn't, Daniel rankled, Daniel, Chapek didn't, James Pitaro, Jesse Grant, CNBC Chapek, Jimmy Pitaro, Zenia Mucha, didn't, Mucha, Barbara Walters, Charles Eshelman, Scarlett Johansson, Scarlett Johansson —, Florence Pugh, Natasha, Yelena, " Johansson, Bryan Lourd, Johansson, Lourd, Steven Spielberg, Al Michaels, David Muir, Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan, Spielberg, Geoff Morrell, Alan Braverman, Alan Horn, Jayne Parker, Bochner, Claire Lee, Paul Richardson, Josh D'Amaro, Ron DeSantis, Morrell, Disney Animation —, George Floyd, Reba Saldanha, Reuters Chapek, DeSantis, Nicholas Maldonado, Octavio Jones, Chapek she'd, we're, " Morrell, CNN's Chris Wallace, Kristina Schake, John Skipper, Daniel steamrolled, Latondra Newton, Newton, Charles Krupa, Pitaro, NBCUniversal's Peacock, Dana Walden, Thomas Murphy, Josh Kushner, Privately, Schake, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Michelle Obama's, David Dee Delgado, Kara Swisher, hadn't, Netflix's, overhiring, McCarthy hadn't, Safra Catz, Kareem, DMED, Horacio Gutierrez, Justin Warbrooke, Alexia Quadrani, Bryan Castellani, Michael Buckner, Quadrani, Lindsay Lohan, Winnie, Nelson Peltz, Catz, Donald Trump's, they'd, Walden, Gutierrez, D'Amaro, Rich Polk, Walden he'd, Iger she'd, Mickey Mouse, Mark Rightmire, haven't, Indiana Jones, Halle Bailey, Ariel, Hamilton Faber, Rich Greenfield, Bob Iger's, — Mayer, McCarthy —, doesn't, they'll Organizations: Disney, Marvel, CNBC, Bloomberg, Getty, Walt Disney, Indiana University, Michigan State University, Shanghai Disney, Man, Hong Kong Disneyland, Walt Disney Parks, Resorts, Pixar, Fox, Chapek, Nike, General, Mastercard, Foreign Relations, University of Pennsylvania, Grogan, Disney's, Fallon, ABC, ESPN, ABC News, California Gov, New York Times, Disney confidants, Hollywood, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Television, Walt Disney Studios, Hulu, HBO Max, Walt Disney Company, YouTube, Companies, Netflix, Apple, Disney Media, Entertainment, Stanford, Rights, Junior, petulant, Filmmagic, Brunswick Group, Covid, CAA, onetime Defense Department, Century Fox, Human, Florida Gov, Republican, Disney Animation, Reuters, Human Rights, HRC, Walt Disney World, Employees, American Foundation for Equal Rights, AP, Amazon Prime, Paramount, South Pacific, Capital Cities, Dow Jones, CVS, Kingdom, Variety, Trian Partners, Charter Communications, U.S, Comcast, Charter's, MediaNews, Orange, Allen, Co, Candle Media, Advisors Locations: Burbank , California, Midwestern, Brentwood, Los Angeles, Westlake Village, Iger, Hammond , Indiana, Shanghai, China, Hong, Fox, Willow Bay, Raleigh , North Carolina, Orlando, U.S, Hulu, Iger's Brentwood, coronavirus, Brunswick, Hollywood, Hawaii, Disney's, Marvel's, Anaheim , California, Montana, Florida, Rye , New Hampshire, Chapek, Hong Kong, California, missteps, South, DMED, Burbank, New York, India, Atlantic, Sun Valley , Idaho, America

☆ What's next for Disney as CEO Bob Iger works to streamline the company, cut costs, and make streaming profitable
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Lucia Moses | Alison Brower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Bob Iger is trying to reshape Disney as a leaner company in his second act as CEO. When Bob Iger came back to Disney in November 2022, the company and the town celebrated the return of a successful and statesmanlike CEO for the world's largest entertainment brand. Two years under Iger's predecessor Bob Chapek left the company reorganized — in ways many company insiders didn't like — and executives, teams, and creative partners demoralized. Iger told CNBC in July that Disney's TV and cable businesses, including ABC and cable networks like FX, "may not be core" to the company. If Iger succeeds in acquiring all of Hulu, some analysts believe it would help Disney with streaming content, marketing, and ad revenue.

Persons: Bob Iger, Iger, Iger's, Bob Chapek, didn't, He's, Ron DeSantis, Penn, —, Dana Walden, Alan Bergman, Josh D'Amaro, Kevin Mayer, Tom Staggs, Puck Organizations: Disney, ESPN, Apple, Florida Gov, Iger, — Entertainment, Parks, CNBC, ABC, Hulu, Hollywood, Writers Guild of America, Association of, Television Producers, SAG, WGA, He's, Netflix, Penn Entertainment, ESPN Bet Locations: Hollywood, Orlando, California, Hulu

☆ 3 key questions Disney analysts say CEO Bob Iger faces ahead of earnings, as concerns mount about succession and streaming profits
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Reed Alexander | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

For Disney, Iger's return was a doctor's-orders scenario. "What is the long game for any pure-play media company in a world where we have tech-driven media companies that are much larger than any traditional media company and have fundamentally different business models?" Will Disney sell TV assets like ABC? Industry watchers have focused on private-equity firms as likely buyers of Disney's TV assets. Are you a Disney insider?

Persons: Bob Iger, Bob Chapek, Iger, Disney, Iger's, Peter Csathy, Tom Staggs, Kevin Mayer, Csathy, they're, He's, Paul Verna, Verna, David Heger, Edward Jones, Heger, Hulu —, it's, Dave Portnoy's Barstool, Will, Evercore, Dana Walden, Alan Bergman, Puck, Disney bigwigs, Mayer, Walden, Bergman, Reed Alexander, Lucia Moses Organizations: Disney, ESPN, Walt Disney Co, Hollywood, Creative Media, Apple, PE, Candle Media, Insider Intelligence, Hulu, LightShed Partners, Penn Entertainment, ESPN Bet, Penn, Yahoo Finance, Will Disney, ABC, Geographic, CNBC, Industry, Disney's, Parks

☆ 3 key questions Disney analysts say CEO Bob Iger faces ahead of earnings this week, as concerns mount about succession and streaming profits
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Reed Alexander | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Persons: Bob Iger, —, Bob Chapek, Iger, Disney, Iger's, Peter Csathy, Tom Staggs, Kevin Mayer, Csathy, they're, He's, Paul Verna, Verna, David Heger, Edward Jones, Heger, Hulu —, Will, it's, Evercore, Dana Walden, Alan Bergman, Puck, Disney bigwigs, Mayer, Walden, Bergman, Reed Alexander, Lucia Moses Organizations: Disney, ESPN, Walt Disney Co, Hollywood, Creative Media, Apple, PE, Candle Media, Insider Intelligence, Hulu, LightShed Partners, Will Disney, ABC, Geographic, CNBC, Industry, Disney's, Parks

☆ Inside Bob Iger's Disney contract extension: a CEO moving to protect his legacy and get succession right this time
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Lucia Moses | Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Disney extended CEO Bob Iger's contract for 2 years, through the end of 2026. Company watchers won't be shocked by the move, since Iger extended his previous tenure in the role many times. Insiders said he wants to protect his legacy and stabilize the business, especially after the exit of its CFO. Disney just extended Bob Iger's contract for two more years, through 2026, the company announced today. Iger pledged at the time to prioritize finding a successor, but he has extended his contract before — four times during his first 15-year tenure.

Persons: Bob Iger's, Iger, Bob Chapek, Dave Heger, Edward Jones, Heger, Christian Knaebel, Christine McCarthy, Disney, — here's, Chapek, Jay Rasulo, Kevin Mayer, Tom Staggs, Dana Walden, Alan Bergman, Iger's reorg, Dana, who's, Bergman, Walden, Meta execs Sheryl Sandberg, Carolyn Everson, Josh D'Amaro, Jimmy Pitaro, Adam Silver, Silver, Andrew Wilson Organizations: Disney, Hollywood, Writers Guild of America, SAG, Longtime, Disney Entertainment, Pixar, ESPN, National Basketball Association, EA Locations: Iger

☆ With actors poised to join film and TV writers on strike, Hollywood insiders lay out the dream and nightmare scenarios: 'There's going to be no cash flow'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

For the first time since 1960, Hollywood actors and writers could be on strike at the same time. If the actors union, SAG-AFTRA, hits the picket lines, it would cause an even deeper disruption to the entertainment industry. Stakes were high enough with the writers' strike. The movement is having a moment, as has been evidenced by other unions — from teachers to truck drivers — joining Hollywood writers on the picket line. A combined writers' and actors' strike "could well go into the end of the year," Handel said.

Persons: Jonathan Handel, that's, Handel, —, AFTRA, it's, Paul Hardart, Bob Iger, Peter Chernin —, Fox —, Iger, Alan Bergman, Dana Walden, I've, he'd, Hardart Organizations: Hollywood, Guild of, SAG, WGA, Alliance, Producers, Netflix, Disney, Guild of America, Entertainment, Media, Technology, NYU's Stern School of Business, News Corp, Disney Entertainment, United Locations: California, Hollywood, United States

☆ Walt Disney Co to begin second wave of layoffs, cutting several thousand jobs - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 24 (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) will begin a second wave of layoffs on Monday involving thousands of jobs, as part of efforts to eliminate 7,000 positions and save $5.5 billion in costs, according to sources familiar with the matter. The company will cut "several thousand" jobs through Thursday, with the latest round of reductions bringing the total number of jobs culled to 4,000, Disney officials say. The cuts will occur across the company's business segments, including Disney Entertainment, ESPN and Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, according to the sources, but are not expected to affect hourly frontline workers employed at the parks and resorts. Disney announced its layoff plan in February, together with a reorganization that returned decision-making to its creative executives. On March 27, Disney began notifying employees affected by the workforce reductions, and said a second, larger round would follow in April.

☆ Leaked memo reveals Disney's new finance structure as more layoffs loom, with a reported 15% of entertainment staffers to be cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Disney's chief financial officer, Christine McCarthy, named a new finance team pulling together staff from both Disney Entertainment and ESPN. McCarthy shared the details with staff this week, naming Bryan Castellani as the new chief financial officer of Disney Entertainment and ESPN. Under Castellani, Lukas Wickart will continue to oversee finance for direct-to-consumer streaming business Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, and Star. Karen Sack will oversee finance for our entertainment television businesses, including TV studios and ABC News finance, marketing, and networks planning. Jeff Grenn will oversee segment consolidation for Disney Entertainment, and finance in support of Aaron LaBerge's technology organization across Disney Entertainment and ESPN.

☆ Disney executives are being directed to identify thousands of layoff candidates and propose other budget cuts by April
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Bob Iger is on a push for profitability at Disney and announced plans to cut 7,000 positions. Managers must identify candidates for layoffs by April, according to a source close to Disney. Disney bean counters have been looking carefully across the company in an attempt to find redundancies and eliminate executives where they can. Earlier this month, Disney announced that top human resources executive Paul Richardson would exit. In February Iger announced a restructure of Disney into three divisions: Entertainment, ESPN, and Parks, Experiences and Products.

☆ Disney executives are being directed to identify thousands of layoff candidates by April as CEO Bob Iger targets $5.5 billion in spending cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bob Iger is on a push for profitability at Disney and announced plans to cut 7,000 positions. Layoffs will impact about 4,000 employees, with the rest of the cuts coming from open roles. Disney bean counters have been looking carefully across the company in an attempt to find redundancies and eliminate executives where they can. Disney Chief Financial Officer Christine McCarthy told investors on the earnings call that the company has targeted cost savings of $5.5 billion. In February Iger announced a restructure of Disney into three divisions: Entertainment, ESPN, and Parks, Experiences and Products.

☆ Biden taps CEOs of 3M, CVS, FedEx, Citi, others to join his Export Council on trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. President Joe Biden has appointed the heads of Citigroup , United Airlines , CVS , 3M and FedEx , among other top executives, to sit on a White House advisory committee overseeing international trade. The President's Export Council gives recommendations and insight into the ways government policies impact U.S. trade performance. The group also provides feedback on how Biden's trade policies are affecting businesses across sectors from industry and labor to agriculture. She previously served as chief operating officer and group president of Starbucks and CEO of Sam's Club. The Export Council features expertise from labor, real estate, national security and law, and leaders of Fortune 200 companies.

Disney CEO Bob Iger announced a new business structure Wednesday and further details emerged Thursday. ESPN and ESPN+ will form a separate unit, led by Jimmy Pitaro. Hollywood is already busy sharing memes about Bergman and Walden and how they will share and compete for power. As part of the cuts, Iger has directed his reports to lay off 7,000 staffers. A Thursday morning press release outlined all the shared services units that will now come under Bergman, Walden, and Pitaro.

"This reorganization will result in a more cost-effective, coordinated approach to our operations," Iger told analysts on a conference call. Disney earlier reported its first quarterly decrease in subscriptions for its Disney+ streaming media unit, which lost more than $1 billion. Iger also repositioned the company to capitalize on the streaming revolution, acquiring 21st Century Fox's film and television assets in 2019 and launching the Disney+ streaming service that fall. Now, Iger will seek to put Disney's streaming business on a path to growth and profitability. It reorganized its business in 2018 to accelerate the growth of its streaming business, and again in 2020, to further spur streaming's growth.

Disney issued a statement applauding Peltz's decision to end a board challenge which it called a "distraction. 'FIRST PHASE' IN DISNEY'S TRANSFORMATIONFor Peltz's Trian Fund Management the board challenge appears to have paid off with an estimated 20% gain on his investment. Analysts said Peltz made a reasonable request for one board seat and to join the 12-member board himself. Peltz appeared on CNBC on Thursday to announce his proxy fight with Disney was over. "Bob Iger has a long, strong track record which provides confidence he will manage this transition for Disney."

☆ Newly returned Disney CEO Bob Iger is cutting 7,000 jobs and reorganizing the company
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Disney CEO Bob Iger announced layoffs on Wednesday. During the company's quarterly earnings call on Wednesday, Iger said the company would cut 7,000 jobs. ESPN will be led by James Pitaro, formerly chair of ESPN and Sports Content, and president of ESPN before that. will be led by James Pitaro, formerly chair of ESPN and Sports Content, and president of ESPN before that. Disney reported in its earnings report that Disney+ lost subscribers for the first time — over 2 million, all from India's Disney+ HotStar.

☆ Inside the Disney drama as CEO Bob Iger announces massive layoffs and a reorg that dismantles the structure under predecessor Bob Chapek
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Bob Iger returned to Disney as CEO in November, ending Bob Chapek's rocky tenure. In one of the most dramatic reversals in corporate history, the Walt Disney Co. board reinstated Bob Iger as CEO in November, ousting his predecessor Bob Chapek. Disney had just reported a $1.5 billion loss in its streaming business on a November 8 earnings call. Wall Street faulted him for waiting until after the 3Q earnings call to announce that layoffs were planned, for example. Disney, which in December launched its own ad-supported Disney+ offering, has enjoyed strong streaming growth, but Wall Street cares more about profitability now.

☆ Inside Disney, 'nervous and anxious' execs brace for news of cost cuts and layoffs that could number in the thousands
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Cost cutting reductions, including layoffs, are expected to hit Disney in the coming weeks and months. CEO Bob Iger has asked top execs to reorganize the former Disney Media Entertainment Distribution division. Disney employees are expecting wide layoffs as returning CEO Bob Iger moves to get costs in line. Internally, there's speculation that Disney will target people who work on nonpremium digital products for layoffs, one company insider said. Iger is expected to dismantle the division formerly known as DMED (Disney Media Entertainment Distribution) and shift P&L controls back to creative leaders and others.

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