Disney Entertainment co-chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden have named Joe Earley as president of the company’s direct-to-consumer division.
Earley will be responsible for leading Disney Entertainment’s streaming efforts, including Disney+ and Hulu, working closely with content teams around the company. In addition, he will continue leading Hulu until a successor is identified. Earley will report to Bergman and Walden.
“Joe has proven himself to be an extraordinary asset and is uniquely positioned for this role as we guide Disney’s streaming strategy into the future,” Bergman and Walden said in a statement. “His vast industry experience and deep understanding of what sets our prestigious portfolio of brands apart will be essential as we build on our robust direct-to-consumer efforts. Joe is a talented, passionate leader, committed to creative excellence, and we look forward to partnering with him in this next chapter.”
Earley succeeds Michael Paull, who is leaving the company after six years.
Earley joined Disney in January 2019 to oversee Disney+ marketing and operations in the leadup to its November launch that year, adding responsibility for content curation in 2021 as the service expanded to dozens of markets worldwide. He was named president of Hulu in January 2022.
“Helping launch Disney+ was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and Hulu has been inspiring and rewarding,” said Earley. “I’m incredibly grateful to Dana and Alan for their confidence and the opportunity to lead both of these incredible teams during this time of transformation across the streaming landscape.”
Prior to Disney, Earley served as president of The Jackal Group, leading its television, film, commercial theater and digital divisions, including productions ranging from “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” to the MGM animated feature film “The Addams Family.”
He also served as a Fox executive for over two decades, including as chief operating officer for Fox Television Group, where he directly oversaw marketing and communications, digital, research, talent relations, scheduling and audience strategy at Fox Broadcasting Company, and teamed with 20th Century Fox Television’s development, production, business affairs, marketing and finance leads on strategic initiatives in addition to overseeing its publicity and talent relations. Having joined Fox in 1994 as a senior publicist, he rose through the ranks at Fox Broadcasting to become president of Marketing & Communications and then its COO.
Earley began his entertainment career in production and development with producer Gale Anne Hurd and spent several years in Media Relations at HBO before moving to Fox.
Earley’s promotion is the latest move in returning Disney CEO Bob Iger’s reorganization of the entertainment giant, which includes cutting 7,000 jobs to help achieve $5.5 billion in cost savings.
As part of the layoffs, Disney has terminated its metaverse division, according to the Wall Street Journal. Also included in the layoffs is Jeffrey R. Epstein, a vice president of corporate communications for Disney and the man who spearheaded the official Disney fan club D23.
In the first quarter of 2023, Disney’s direct-to-consumer segment saw revenue climb 13% year over year to $5.3 billion. However, the segment’s operating loss also widened to $1.1 billion, an increase of $0.5 billion due to a higher loss at Disney+ and a decrease in results at Hulu, partially offset by improved results at ESPN+. The company reported a total of 161.8 million Disney+ subscribers – a decrease of 2.4 million from the previous quarter – 48 million Hulu subscribers, and 24.9 million ESPN+ subscribers. Executives expect Disney+ to become profitable by the end of fiscal 2024.
