Disney is planning a sweeping restructuring of its television business that is expected to produce hundreds of layoffs and consolidate divisions that have operated as separate fiefdoms, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The overhaul is being led by Disney Entertainment Television chairman Debra OConnell, who reports to Disney President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden and oversees ABC Entertainment, 20th Television, Hulu Originals, Disney Kids & Family, National Geographic Content, and Freeform. Each of those units currently maintains its own executive layer overseeing programming for Disney+, Hulu, and linear channels, and those leadership positions are expected to be among the roles affected. Walden said at a Bloomberg conference that Disney will be centralizing divisions that have been run separately into a television business rather than a bunch of silos, and ABC News faces further reductions as well. Senior executives are still working out details and the plan may not be finalized before year-end, after Disney assessed uptake from a voluntary early-retirement program whose opt-in window closed over the weekend of September 27-28. The TV restructuring is the latest chapter in a broader cost campaign under CEO Josh D'Amaro, who took over from Bob Iger on March 18, 2026, and follows more than 300 layoffs on September 30, primarily in human resources and IT, bringing reported 2026 reductions past 1,500 positions.
Walt Disney CompanyDisney plans a TV restructuring with hundreds of layoffs and consolidates divisions as part of a broader cost-cutting campaign.
