by Thinus Ferreira
The Walt Disney Company is further reorganising its entire TV and video streaming content divisions as it pivots to place its main focus, money, attention and resources behind its subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service Disney+, that might have interesting consequences and impacts for South Africa and the sub-Saharan Africa region in future.
While Disney's internationally distributed linear TV channels remain important to the Mouse House - for instance those seen in South Africa and across the rest of Africa on the services of pay-TV operators like MultiChoice's DStv and China's StarTimes - Disney+ and Disney's video streaming ambitions are now clearly taking top priority.
Interestingly, Disney+ and Star - the two brands of its streaming service - are not available in South Africa or anywhere else in Africa for that matter and The Walt Disney Company and Walt Disney Company Africa have remained silent about a possible launch and roll-out date as Disney+ expands everywhere else in the world.
Last month Disney announced a dramatic restructuring with its main focus now being direct-to-consumer digital streaming, as it created a single, global media and distribution unit.
Now Peter Rice, Disney General Entertainment Content (DGE) chairman, in an internal memo is telling staffers that Disney is moving away from its legacy linear TV channels structure.
"For our team, this means we will wholly focus our resources and efforts on developing, producing and marketing exceptional content to fuel the company’s streaming and linear platforms while our colleagues at Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution (DMED) will distribute and monetise that content and run the linear networks and streaming platforms," writes Peter Rice.
Peter Rice writes that Disney is pivoting into a new structure that is "a big change to our legacy television structure which was built around linear networks".
"Focusing our structure around content engines and centralized support functions will make us more effective, flexible and prolific as we focus on our core strength: making great television. Over the last several months, in the face of unprecedented change and enormous challenges, your collective efforts and tireless commitment to keeping our television business running have been nothing short of exceptional, and I am incredibly proud to work alongside all of you," Peter Rice writes.
"We will undoubtedly face more questions and challenges as we implement these changes, but I am confident that together we will continue to rise to the occasion with resourcefulness and resilience."
The new executive leadership team under Peter Rice is now Ravi Ahuja (president of DGE business operations), James Goldston (ABC News president), John Landgraf (FX president), Gary Knell (National Geographic Partners chairman), Gary Marsh (Disney Branded Television president and chief creative officer) who previously was Disney Channels president, Courteney Monroe (National Geographic Content President) and Dana Walden (Walt Disney Television chairman).
The Walt Disney Company is also consolidating its marketing, publicity and media planning divisions into one division that is headed up by Shannon Ryan, with Jayanta Jenkins joining Disney as head of content marketing for Disney+ and who will also oversee marketing, publicity and media planning for Disney's linear TV channels including Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD and National Geographic.
