Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen Disney cut thousands of jobs as part of its cost-cutting measures to make the company more profitable, and unfortunately, more job cuts are on the way.

According to the Washington Square Journal, around 6% of the total workforce of ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks, equal to around 200 jobs are set to be let go this week.

The layoffs haven’t been officially announced, but it’s reported that the majority of these cuts will be at its ABC News division, which will see some of the shows, such as “20/20” and “Nightline,” consolidated into one unit.

Disney is also looking to integrate its digital editorial and social teams with news gathering, shows, and owned stations. It will also shut down its political news site, 538, which has around 15 employees. 

One of the changes will be to the main breakfast talk show, “Good Morning America,” which will see its production team consolidated under one leader. Currently, the show’s third hour is made by a separate production team. 

Some of the Disney Entertainment division cuts will impact those working in program planning and scheduling.

With Disney’s linear business continuing to shrink, it has been readjusting its strategy, and most of the jobs being cut are due to fewer people watching linear television.   While Disney is trying to make ABC News Live available in as many locations as possible such as Disney+, to increase viewership, it is having to trim down how much money it spends on creating its news coverage.     

Also, in terms of program planning and scheduling, with the growth of streaming platforms and the decline of linear channels, it does feel like these roles are less important than they used to be.

Roger’s Take:  It’s unclear if these cuts will impact on programming for audiences, but its never good to hear of job cuts and hopefully those impacted will be looked after and will be able to find other work, however, with most other studios cutting costs, its going to be much harder for those impacted.

What do you think of these job cuts?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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