Latest in Kevin Mayer

As TikTok's future in the U.S. remains up in the air, Facebook Wednesday announced the official launch of rival Instagram Reels Stateside and in over 50 countries, calling it "a new way to create and discover short, entertaining videos … and help anyone with the ambition of becoming a creator take center…

Microsoft said Sunday evening it will continue to pursue a takeover of TikTok in the U.S. as President Donald Trump backs off of threats to ban the service, a development that could see the software giant running the hugely popular video sharing app by mid-September. The Redmond, Washigton-based company announced its…

UPDATE, SATURDAY P.M.: The WSJ has reported that Microsoft has paused the purchase of the U.S. operation of social media, video-sharing app TikTok following Trump’s threat to ban the app on Friday. The situation seems dicey as the two companies are trying to gather more information on Trump’s course of action. "The…

Tiktok CEO Kevin Mayer said Wednesday the company will do what it takes to ensure TikTok’s availability and success as President Donald Trump reiterated threats to ban the hugely popular Chinese owned video sharing app in the U.S., and a report circulated that some American investment firms have suggested taking a…

Popular social media platform TikTok will exit Hong Kong imminently following the introduction of China's new national security law in the semi-autonomous territory. Though the platform was founded in China by developer ByteDance, the app, which is now run by former Disney exec Kevin Mayer, is only available outside…

Kevin Mayer offered his first public comments Thursday about his stunning exit from Disney and his outlook for TikTok’s path to further growth. He took over June 1 as the fast-rising company’s CEO and COO of its parent, ByteDance. “There comes a time in everyone’s career where you need to make a choice,” he said. “It…

The exit of Kevin Mayer as Disney’s streaming chief and arrival as COO of Chinese tech giant ByteDance has more than a few media and tech minds trying to envision the road ahead for its best known platform, TikTok. Launched in 2016, TikTok has enjoyed meteoric growth in the U.S. and elsewhere, especially among…

Rebecca Campbell, whose promotion to Disney’s Chairman of Direct-to-Consumer & International on Monday put her in charge of Disney+, Hulu, Hotstar and ESPN+, took a somewhat less-traveled road to the C-suite. During the bulk of her 23 years at the company, Campbell focused on local broadcasting, running individual…

Kevin Mayer, the head of direct-to-consumer and international for Walt Disney, is leaving the company to become CEO of giant TikTok. He had been considered a leading contender to succeed Bob Iger as chief executive of Disney but was passed over in favor of Bob Chapek, the former head of parks and resorts. Mayer will…

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…