This marks another month of uncertainty for Disney employees as the entertainment giant continues to reshape its workforce.
The Walt Disney Company has begun a new round of layoffs, eliminating about 300 jobs, primarily in human resources and technology, as new CEO Josh D’Amaro continues to restructure the company.
The reductions are expected to be spread over several days, Deadline reported.
And the workforce reductions may not stop there.
Separately, Disney is planning a significant restructuring of its television operations that could result in hundreds of additional layoffs and the consolidation of its divisions.
Also read: Microsoft cuts hundreds more jobs as restructuring deepens.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report the TV overhaul, citing people familiar with the matter.
Senior leaders are still working on the details of the plan, which may not be finalized before the end of the year.
The two developments are separate, but together they put hundreds of additional Disney jobs at risk or are already being eliminated.
Disney’s TV business faces new overhaul
Disney Entertainment Television President Debra O’Connell is leading the planned restructuring, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The changes aim to organize Disney’s television operations more around its streaming customers than around individual brands developed during the era of traditional linear television.
More layoffs:
Executives from ABC Entertainment, 20th Television, Hulu Originals and Freeform are among those expected to be affected by the changes, according to the report.
This restructuring comes as Disney increasingly places streaming at the center of its entertainment strategy.
During the company’s most recent earnings conference call in August, D’Amaro said that during his first five months as CEO, he focused on making Disney “execute as one company around a unified strategy.”
He described the company’s “One Disney” operating model as a way to more closely connect its businesses and capture more value in its portfolio.
Disney is also evolving Disney+ into what D’Amaro calls the “digital centerpiece” of its relationship with customers and working to integrate Hulu more deeply into the platform.
But this strategy is unfolding as the economics of traditional television come under increasing pressure.
Cable removal continues to shrink cable and broadcast businesses that historically generated substantial profits for media companies.
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