Email. The appointments, led by Rice and Walden, signify a total takeover by Fox of Disney’s TV assets which will now be run by Fox executives.Joining Walden at Disney will be 20th Century Fox TV: President of creative affairs Jonnie Davis and President Business Operations Howard Kurtzman as well as Fox 21 TV Studios president Bert Salke. Today’s announcement was originally expected last Monday but was ultimately postponed by a week.In part in anticipation of the expansion with the Fox acquisition, Disney in March reorganized its operations, adding to the portfolios of Mayer and Chapek, dividing the company’s operations into three big areas, distribution, led by Mayer, experiences, led by Chapek, and content.Rice and Mayer both have been rising star executives at Fox and Disney, respectively, so it is logical for them to be considered potential successors to Iger.“I love making television and have been fortunate to work with incredibly talented executives and storytellers,” Rice said. That’s made for an adversarial situation, but now they’re on the same team. It has been a wonderful thirty years.”Launch dates for broadcast, cable and streaming programsUp-to-date lists for broadcast, cable and streaming seriesPandemic-proof vs. pandemic-contingent broadcast lineupsGet our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networksWe want to hear from you! Given its high-caliber original programming (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), on par with FX-style content, there has been some speculation that Landgraf might add some Hulu responsibilities to his oversight. (Some insiders and analysts have peg the number of pink slips at 5,000-6,000 or even more. All Rights reserved. “Ben has been a valued colleague, and I deeply appreciate his many contributions and insights, as well as his professionalism and cooperation in this transition.”The announcement of the post-merger executive structure comes two months after the formal Fox shareholders vote approved of the transaction. Disney's ABC News sacks senior executive over allegedly racist comments ... Disney executive Peter Rice told staff in an email which ABC shared with Reuters. Disney is targeting about $2.6 billion in cost-cutting by eliminating redundancies and laying off at least 5,000 people, 2,300 on the Fox side and 1,700 on the Disney side, in TV and film combined. He will work alongside Disney’s Kevin Mayer, Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer and International, and Bob Chapek, Chairman of Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products.Reporting to Walt Disney Co. chairman and CEO Bob Iger, Rice will oversee the ABC network, ABC Studios, the ABC Owned TV Stations Group, Disney Channels, Freeform, 20th Century Fox Television, FX Networks and FX Productions, Fox 21 Television Studios, and the National Geographic channels. Landgraf and Knell will continue to lead their network groups as they migrate from Fox to Disney. Peter has 5 jobs listed on their profile. But in the long term, it doesn’t really make sense to keep two different infrastructures — the whole point of mergers like this one are the financial savings once operations are merged.Interestingly, although Davis and Kurtzman already report to Walden and are moving with her to Disney, Moran also spent years working for Walden — as senior VP of drama at 20th, overseeing the development of shows such as “Glee” before joining ABC in 2010. Here’s what to keep an eye on in the coming months:Walden will have oversight over several divisions, including studios, the Freeform network and the ABC-owned TV stations group. Because FX Networks has kept a pretty lean operation and because there is nothing like it at Disney — an adult-focused basic cable network and streaming platform — that division is expected to be among the least impacted by cuts. LinkedIn; WhatsApp; ... and Chairman & CEO of Fox Networks Group Peter Rice, ... work with incredibly talented executives and storytellers,” Rice said. Send us a tip using our annonymous form.Copyright © 2020 Penske Business Media, LLC.
It follows lengthy negotiations that are said to have included the consideration of potential additional areas of oversight for Fox executives, including sports and streaming. But that wasn’t a part of Monday’s announcement. They will work alongside ABC Studios president Patrick Moran.Reporting to Walden in the new structure will be Channing Dungey, President, ABC Entertainment; Moran, President, ABC Studios; Davis and Kurtzman, Presidents of 20th Century Fox TV; Bert Salke, President, Fox 21 TV Studios; Tom Ascheim, President, Freeform; and Wendy McMahon, President, ABC Owned TV Stations Group.While the leaderships of the 20th TV and ABC Studios remain intact for the moment, it is still clear that there will be layoffs, including executive departures, in the combined TV studio operations. Other names bandied about have included Disney parks and resorts boss Bob Chapek, and Kevin Mayer, Disney’s direct-to-consumer/international chairman. I also want to thank Rupert, Lachlan and James Murdoch for the privilege of working on such a wide array of movies and television, both entertainment and sports. When the Walt Disney Company unveiled much of its new TV networks organizational structure Monday, it didn’t come with many surprises: As expected, Peter Rice will assume oversight as … Disney will continue to sublet space on the Fox lot in Century City, which means entities like FX will stay physically put for now — but suddenly, Fox network staffers who run into 20th Century Fox TV or FX colleagues on the way to the cafeteria will have to contend with the surreal reality that they now work for completely separate corporate entities. The next three years may serve as a bit of a tryout for Rice, who has something else in his favor: Rupert Murdoch, who will now be one of Disney’s biggest shareholders.Fox TV Group chairman Gary Newman is negotiating to continue running a slimmed-down Fox network once most of the 21st Century Fox assets decamp for Disney — giving the broadcaster some continuity.