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…

Even as Disney prepares to launch a pair of streaming services to deliver sports and entertainment directly to consumers, the studio is unlikely to indulge in Netflix-like collapsing of release windows — at least when it comes to blockbuster movies. Walt Disney Co. Chief Strategy Officer Kevin Mayer said the studio’s…

UPDATE, 2:53 PM: New CFO Christine McCarthy and Chief Strategy Officer Kevin Mayer will do well for themselves with their new Disney contracts — although probably not as well as former CFO Jay Rasulo did — according to Disney’s SEC filing about the promotions. The two execs’ contracts will run until mid 2019. Each…