Disney names leadership team for expanded Disney Entertainment division

Published on 3/16/26 by Craig Smith

The Walt Disney Company has officially set the leadership team for its expanded Disney Entertainment segment, marking one of the first major structural moves of the Josh D’Amaro era. In a March 16 announcement, Disney said the reorganization will bring together the company’s streaming, film, television, and growing games and digital entertainment businesses under Dana Walden, who became Disney’s president and chief creative officer on March 18.

The move is designed to reflect how Disney increasingly reaches audiences across multiple platforms rather than through separate business silos. In the company’s own framing, consumers now engage with Disney storytelling through Disney+, theatrical releases, television brands, and games, and the new structure is meant to make that ecosystem feel more connected. That makes this less like a routine executive shuffle and more like a statement about how Disney wants its entertainment business to operate going forward.

Under the new structure, Alan Bergman will continue overseeing Disney’s film studios as chairman of Disney Entertainment, Studios. His responsibilities include production, marketing, and distribution, and Disney said he will also continue sharing oversight of direct-to-consumer operations with Walden. That keeps one of the company’s most experienced studio leaders in a central position even as the broader organization changes around him.

One of the most notable changes is in streaming. Joe Earley and Adam Smith have been named co-presidents of Direct to Consumer, with shared responsibility for strategy and financial performance across Disney+ and Hulu. Earley will also serve as head of content strategy for direct-to-consumer, while Smith will continue in his product and technology leadership role for Disney Entertainment and ESPN. The arrangement underscores how closely Disney now sees content, platform design, and subscriber business strategy as linked.

On the television side, Debra OConnell is taking on a newly created role as chairman of Disney Entertainment Television. Disney said she will oversee television brands including ABC Entertainment, Disney Branded Television, Hulu Originals, National Geographic Content, and creative for 20th Television and 20th Television Animation. She will also continue overseeing ABC News and the ABC Owned Television Stations. That gives OConnell a broad portfolio spanning both entertainment and news operations, and signals Disney’s interest in tighter coordination across its TV brands.

The announcement also folds games more directly into the entertainment division. Sean Shoptaw, EVP of Games and Digital Entertainment, and his organization will now report to Walden as part of Disney Entertainment. Disney specifically pointed to the company’s collaboration with Epic Games and its efforts to build a Disney universe connected to Fortnite, showing that games are no longer being treated as a side business but as a meaningful part of Disney’s future storytelling strategy.

Another notable detail is that John Landgraf, chairman of FX, will continue reporting directly to Walden. That preserves a degree of independence for one of Disney’s most critically respected television brands even within a more centralized structure. Meanwhile, chief marketing and brand officer Asad Ayaz will report to both D’Amaro and Walden, reinforcing how brand management is expected to connect closely with both companywide strategy and creative leadership.

The bigger picture is that Disney is building an entertainment structure meant to match the way modern franchises actually live. A hit title might begin in theaters, continue on streaming, expand into television, and grow further through gaming and digital experiences. By placing those businesses under a more unified leadership framework, Disney is trying to make that cross-platform model more deliberate.

For Disney watchers, the significance of the announcement is clear. D’Amaro’s elevation to CEO and Walden’s move into the newly created president and chief creative officer role already suggested a broader reshaping of the company. This new Disney Entertainment leadership team is one of the clearest signs yet of how that next chapter will be organized.

• News Topic: Disney Company News