Former Google and YouTube executive Adam Smith is joining Disney Entertainment and ESPN as its new chief product and technology officer on Sept. 3.
In the role, Smith will be responsible for driving technology strategy, development, deployment and innovation across the company’s streaming platforms and networks, consumer digital touchpoints, proprietary advertising technology, emerging technologies and more. He will also lead a global team of technologists, including engineers, product managers and designers, data scientists and technical operations teams.
Smith will report to Disney Entertainment co-chairpersons Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. He replaces Aaron LaBerge, who departed the role at the end of June after 20 years to serve as the CTO and head of PENN Entertainment’s Interactive division — a key partner and collaborator on ESPN Bet.
“We could not be more thrilled to have Adam join the Disney team in this pivotal role,” Bergman, Pitaro and Walden said in a joint statement. “We’ve been aggressive in advancing our technological capabilities to better support our world-class media, streaming and advertising businesses, and Adam brings a bold, consumer-focused vision for the future and a proven ability to effectively lead global teams in implementing ambitious, scalable and flexible products and technology that will continue to elevate storytelling as the center of the Disney experience.”
Smith, who has over 20 years of experience at Google and YouTube, has held executive roles across numerous divisions, throughout significant growth trajectories from both companies.
He most recently served as YouTube’s vice president of product management, leading Music and Premium to over 100 million subscriptions, as well as stints leading Global Content and Product across kids, sports, news and education and serving as the regional head for the Asia-Pacific region. Within Google, he led development and strategy for a series of key products and groups including Google Fiber, Google APAC and a portfolio that included Google Books, Google News, Google Finance and Google Scholar.
Before Google and YouTube, Smith worked at Random House/Bertelsmann. He has also served on the board of nonprofit REDF since 2009.
“Disney has built and nurtured an unparalleled portfolio of brands bringing joy and delight to fans of all ages, thanks to a culture of creativity that embraces innovation,” Smith said. “I believe Disney is uniquely positioned to thrive in the next evolution of media and has made significant progress in a very short time while keeping storytelling front and center. I look forward to working closely with Alan, Dana and Jimmy and their top-notch teams and am excited to bring my expertise in utilizing technology to build compelling consumer experiences that will drive engagement and discovery among fans, families and friends.”
Smith’s appointment comes as Disney prepares to broadly roll out its password-sharing crackdown beginning in September. The company is also launching continuous playlists — a feature similar to linear channels — in Disney+ starting Sept. 4, an ESPN tile in Disney+ by the end of the year and a fully direct-to-consumer version of ESPN by the end of 2025.
In the third quarter of 2024, Disney reported its first-ever combined streaming profit across Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ and remains on track for improvement in streaming profitability in the fourth quarter.
“We know that we need stronger recommendation engines, and we’re working on that technology, and we need to make our marketing more efficient,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said during last week’s earnings call. “But by adding all of these features, both on the technological side and also on the programming side, we’re bullish about the future of this business.”
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