ABC Signature Studios To Merge With 20th Television
Over five years after the acquisition of 20th Century Fox, today it’s been revealed that ABC Signature Studios is going to be shut down, and existing projects will be folded into 20th Television Studios.
The ABC Signature Studios is behind many popular shows including “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Black-ish”, “The Golden Girls” and “High Potential”. However, it’s been very noticeable for a while that 20th Television was making more and more shows for linear and streaming, such as “Percy Jackson And The Olympians,” “9-1-1,” “The Old Man,” and much more.
ABC Signature Studios has gone through many rebrands over its history, dating back to the 1980s, having previously been known as “Touchstone Television” and “ABC Studios”. It was rebranded to ABC Signature Studios in 2013.
This change was expected to eventually happen since the two studios had considerable overlap, as they both produced very similar shows. With Disney drastically cutting back on the number of new shows it creates, it shouldn’t come as a huge shock to many.
Also merging together the two studios will also result in the need for less staff. As part of the change, over thirty members of staff are being let go from the company, equally split between ABC Signature Studios and 20th Television.
Some of those leaving include Danny Feldheim, ABC Signature’s SVP of Comedy Development and SVP Erin Wehrenberg, ABC’s Head Of Comedy. Tracy Underwood, who is stepping down as President of ABC Signature, will be moving over to a production deal with the company.
To continue with the blurring of the lines between linear and streaming, it was also revealed that the ABC and Hulu Originals scripted drama and comedy teams are being combined under ABC/Freeform EVP Simran Sethi , who has been promoted to President, Scripted Programming, Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment.
Here’s the memo that Eric Schrier, president of Disney Television Studios & Business Operations, Disney General Entertainment, Eric Schrier sent out to staff members at the studios today.
Team,
I’d like to share some organizational changes designed to help streamline our team while continuing to deliver the highest caliber shows.
Effective today, the ABC Signature banner will sunset and its operations will be combined into 20th Television.
20th Television will continue to be overseen by Karey Burke, who has been a vital and strategic leader across many divisions of the company. Over the past three years, she has built upon the studio’s unparalleled success in delivering groundbreaking hits.
Tracy Underwood will transition from her role as president, ABC Signature, to a new overall producing deal with Disney Television Studios. Tracy is an exceptional leader whose passion and deep relationships with creative partners has contributed greatly to our organization, and we are excited about continuing our relationship with her as a producer. I am confident she will continue to flourish.
Additionally, Josh Sussman has been promoted and will now lead our business affairs team, reporting into me. Josh is a thoughtful strategist who has been an integral part of Disney Television Studios since 2016.
We are extremely fortunate to have this extraordinary group of executives leading an all-star team, whose collective commitment to creative risk-taking and delivering quality content will continue to drive our business into the future.Unfortunately, combining these functions means having to say goodbye to some of our colleagues and friends. These are exceedingly difficult decisions made with the utmost thought and consideration. I know change is challenging and that you all will handle it with respect and compassion.
Looking at what lies ahead, I am confident in this remarkable team’s ability to elevate our business. Please reach out to your HR business partner with any questions, and I am here for you if you need anything at all.
With gratitude,
Eric
Here’s a note that Craig Erwich, President, ABC Entertainment, Hulu & Disney Branded Television Streaming Originals put out to the team:
Team,
Today, we are announcing some important organizational changes that will bring our linear and streaming creative teams together and establish a one-stop shop for our creative partners. This is designed to maximize one of our distinct advantages, which is the ability to launch content on both linear and streaming.
Effective immediately, the ABC and Hulu scripted content teams will be combined under the direction of Simran Sethi, who has been elevated to president, Scripted Programming, Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment. This promotion is in recognition of the excellent work Simran has done as the head of the ABC scripted programming team. Jordan Helman will serve as EVP, drama, Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment, adding broadcast drama to his portfolio. He will report to Simran.
On the comedy side, Erin Wehrenberg will be leaving the company. We are so thankful to Erin for her creativity and leadership overseeing ABC comedy development and current over the past few years, and wish her well in her next chapter. The comedy team will report to Simran in the interim as we determine next steps.
Streamlining our creative functions regrettably means reductions to our valued team. These are painstaking decisions, and I’d like to acknowledge how profoundly grateful I am for the contributions made by our departing colleagues. This kind of change is never easy, but I know our team will navigate through this moment with the utmost respect and care for one another.
As we look toward the future, I have great confidence that your combined passion and innovation will continue to position our company as a leader in entertainment.
Thank you for everything you do each and every day. I am so proud to work alongside you.
Craig
Roger’s Take: I’ve been expecting this change for a while, having both ABC Signature Studios and 20th Television Studios just didn’t seem necessary, resulting in duplication in some of the staff required, but more importantly, as we’re seeing fewer shows being created, the need to keep both brands going seems unnecessary. I’m just surprised it took Disney so long to make this move, but with the demand for television shows so high over the past few years, it’s unlikely they could do it this until now.
It also makes sense to utilise the 20th Television brand more since Disney spent a fortune buying the studio and, globally, is much more recognised than ABC, though that brand isn’t going anywhere due to the linear channel being one of Disney’s most important channels. It also makes sense to bring together its linear and streaming divisions since keeping them separate was costing Disney so much money in creating too much content.
What do you think of this change? Let me know on social media!
