Disney+ Gets New Leadership As New Chairman Of Direct-To-Consumer Revealed
Disney announced that it has named Adam Smith the new Chairman of Direct-to-Consumer for Disney Entertainment, where he will lead the company’s global entertainment SVOD business and drive strategy, development, and continued innovation across its streaming platforms, proprietary advertising technology, emerging technologies, and more. In his expanded role, he will oversee Disney+ and Hulu, including product, engineering, advertising technology, programming strategy, viewer experience, partnerships, and data & analytics.
Adam joined Disney in 2024 and has worked on the company’s streaming business, most recently serving as Co-President, Direct-to-Consumer, and Chief Product & Technology Officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN. Previously, Smith spent more than 20 years at Google and YouTube, where he held executive roles across numerous divisions during significant growth at both companies.
Dana Walden, President & Chief Creative Officer, The Walt Disney Company, said in a statement regarding the move:
“Over the past two years, Adam has done an exceptional job building a world-class team of product and technology leaders and has significantly enhanced the Disney+ user experience globally. Alan Bergman and I are pleased to recognize the tremendous impact he has had on our direct-to-consumer business since he joined Disney, and we are confident that he is the right leader to meet the critical moment we’re in and take us to the next level.”
With Adam Smith, Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer, Disney Entertainment adding:
“Disney has the best storytellers and the most passionate fandom in the world, and I couldn’t be prouder of what this team has built together. We’ve established real momentum, and our vision ahead is clear: make Disney+ the connection point for fans everywhere to engage with the full breadth and depth of the broader Disney ecosystem. I’m grateful for this team, energized by what’s ahead, and excited for our next chapter.”
It was also announced that Joe Earley will assume the newly created role of President, Disney Entertainment Television Franchise and Content Strategy. In this role, Earley will lead the strategic development of Disney Entertainment Television franchises, maximising their value and creating new opportunities to engage audiences and drive the business forward. He will oversee all content and production for international originals, production, labour relations and creative talent development.
Dana Walden, also spoke about Joe’s new role:
“Joe has been an exceptional leader for our direct-to-consumer business over the past four years, and I am deeply grateful for his partnership and meaningful contributions. He is a talented executive with a rare combination of business acumen and creative instincts, and Debra OConnell and I could not be more excited to welcome him to the leadership team at Disney Entertainment Television.”
Joe joined Disney in 2019 to help with the launch of Disney+ and was named President of Hulu in 2022, leading the platform’s suite of on-demand and live streaming businesses. He most recently served as Co-President, Direct-to-Consumer and head of content strategy. Previously, he was a long-tenured executive at Fox, where he held a variety of roles across content, communications, marketing and operations.
Roger’s Take: It was pretty clear that Adam Smith was brought in to run Disney’s digital centrepiece, Disney+, and after a couple of years, he is now being moved into a role to make the streaming service even more successful. Hopefully, with Hulu merging into Disney+ soon, we’ll hear more about Adam’s plans to build the platform for the future, while also letting Joe focus on the content side of things.
What do you think of the change at the top of Disney+? Let me know on social media!
