Disney is shuffling around its streaming leadership team and building a new international hub to support the global expansion of Disney+ and Hotstar.
Rebecca Campbell, who previously served as chairman of international operations and direct-to-consumer, will now hold an expanded role as chairman of international content and operations and focus on local and regional content production for Disney’s streaming services.
Michael Paull has been promoted to the newly created role of president of Disney Streaming and will oversee Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ and Star+. The company said it will name a replacement as head of Disney+, a role previously held by Paull.
Joe Earley, who previously served as executive vice president of marketing and operations for Disney+, has been named president of Hulu.
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“Disney’s direct-to-consumer efforts have progressed at a tremendous pace in just a few short years, and our organization has continued to grow and evolve in support of our ambitious global streaming strategy,” said Disney CEO Bob Chapek in a statement. “Rebecca has played a vital role in orchestrating our global platform expansion, and I’m excited that she will be leading our new International Content group, bringing her expertise and talent to oversee the growing pipeline of original local and regional content for our streaming services while continuing to lead our international operations. Likewise, with a relentless focus on serving consumers, [Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution Chairman Kareem Daniel] has developed an industry-leading team of seasoned executives who are uniquely equipped to take our streaming business into Disney’s next century.”
Disney+ launched in late 2019 and lead the company’s streaming business growth. Disney now has 179 million total subscriptions across Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu as of the end of fiscal 2021 and plans to more than double the number of countries Disney+ is in to over 160 by fiscal 2023. To support further growth, Disney is increasing its investment in original content and said it has more than 340 titles in various stages of development and production.