Latest in Kevin Mayer

A week after Disney+ launched to great fanfare and amid claims of security breaches, Kevin Mayer today pulled back the Mouse ears a bit on the subscriber tsunami that hit the streaming service on Day 1 and the resulting widespread technical glitches. "We were very surprised by the size and the magnitude," the head of…

UPDATED with user reports of technical issues. The moment of truth has finally arrived for Disney’s long-awaited, high-stakes entry into the streaming race, Disney+. The $7-a-month subscription service went live in the U.S., Canada and the Netherlands at midnight PT as Monday became Tuesday. With a menu of film and TV…

Rita Ferro, Disney’s president of ad sales, received the Frank Stanton Award for Excellence in Communication during a luncheon Wednesday in New York attended by a number of senior-level colleagues. ESPN anchor Kenny Mayne, ABC entertainment chief Karey Burke and Direct to Consumer and International Chairman Kevin Mayer…

Disney is combining its media sales and channel distribution into a single group to be led by longtime ESPN veteran Justin Connolly, who has been given the new title of President of Media Distribution. Based in New York, Connolly will report to Kevin Mayer, chairman of Disney's Direct-to-Consumer and International…

Janice Marinelli, a noted sales executive who has held several key roles at Disney and was promoted last year to president of Global Content Sales & Distribution, plans to wind down her 34-year run at the company. The exec’s departure is the latest significant exit as Disney absorbs the bulk of 21st Century Fox, which…

Unifying previously separate upfront events for ABC and ESPN, and adding in the assets acquired from Fox and a sprinkling of streaming mentions, Disney filled two theaters with media buyers and played the hits (both verifiable and aspirational). Business-wise, the presentation at Lincoln Center wasn’t bursting with…

Hulu CEO Randy Freer delivered an update on Hulu’s strategy during Disney’s Investor Day, arguing the 11-year-old streaming service “has the resources to go head to head with any TV product out there … and win.” Disney now owns 60% of Hulu, having acquired the 30% stake formerly controlled by 21st Century Fox when it…

The Walt Disney Co. has named Aaron LaBerge executive vice president and chief technology officer for its recently formed Disney Direct-To-Consumer and International unit. In this new role, LaBerge will report to Kevin Mayer and help shape the technology that delivers Disney’s entertainment and sports content to…

After years of friction over the direction of its direct-to-consumer strategy, Disney has just claimed major bragging rights with ESPN’s announcement that streaming service ESPN+ has reached 1 million subscribers in its first five months. The legacy sports giant’s $5-a-month streaming service debuted in April, ending…

Rita Ferro, after a 2017 promotion to lead the consolidated ad-sales efforts of the Disney-ABC Television Group, will add ESPN to her portfolio. Ed Erhardt, who spent 20 years as head of sales for ESPN, has announced his retirement in early 2019. The moves were announced by direct-to-consumer and international…

Andy Bird, Chairman of Walt Disney International, is set to exit the company after 14 years, Deadline has confirmed. The move comes in the wake of last week’s announcement of a reorganization of Disney’s businesses as it prepares to launch direct-to-consumer services and seeks to grow internationally — and ahead of the…

The Walt Disney Co. announced a reorganization of its businesses as the company prepares to launch direct-to-consumer services and seeks to grow internationally. Kevin Mayer, who has served as Disney’s chief strategy officer, has named chairman of the new Direct-to-Consumer and International business segment — elevatin…