© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A screen shows the logo and a ticker symbol for The Walt Disney Company on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
(Reuters) -Walt Disney Co on Thursday named Dana Walden chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content, overseeing original programming for the company’s streaming platforms and its cable and broadcast networks.
She replaces Peter Rice, who is leaving the company. Walden will report directly to Chief Executive Bob Chapek.
Walden and Rice both joined Disney in 2019 with the company’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox, and she oversaw entertainment for Walt Disney (NYSE:) Television.
Under her leadership, the company had such hits as ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” the Hulu Original series “Only Murders in the Building” and the Onyx Collective’s Academy Award-winning documentary “Summer of Soul.”
“Dana is a dynamic, collaborative leader and cultural force who in just three years has transformed our television business into a content powerhouse that consistently delivers the entertainment audiences crave,” Chapek said in a statement.
Rice, who held the post of chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content, was let go in a company meeting on Wednesday, citing an ill fit with Disney’s corporate culture, according to The New York Times.
Sources who spoke with Reuters said Rice clashed with Disney’s senior leadership, and that his departure was, according to one, “a long time coming.”
Rice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Walden previously served as chairman and chief executive of the Fox Television Group, which included the Fox Broadcasting Company, whose studio produced such hits as “This Is Us,” “Empire,” “Modern Family” and “Glee.”
In her new role at Disney, Walden will have oversight of ABC Entertainment, ABC News, Disney Branded Television, Disney Television Studios, Freeform, FX, Hulu Originals, National Geographic Content and Onyx Collective.
Disney board Chair Susan Arnold issued a statement, saying “Bob (Chapek) and his leadership team have the support and confidence of the board.”
