Disney and Fox’s TV Divisions to Remain Largely Unaffected by Layoffs
Sweeping changes are happening at 21st Century Fox and Disney after the two have joined forces, but one area that doesn’t seem to be changing much for either party is their television divisions. Though the TV side may have lost a major executive – who left the company of his own accord – both of the leaders of Disney and Fox’s TV divisions are telling their employees to remain optimistic.
As I’ve noted in a previous piece, Thursday was an absolute bloodbath when it came to layoffs, with Fox 2000’s end in sight and several executives losing positions. Almost all of them were film executives on the Fox side, with the exception of Greg Meidel, who was a television executive. The good news is that, according to Variety, employees of Fox who are being laid off will be handsomely compensated with anywhere between a year or two years’ worth of pay while they look for new work at another company. (I’m sure that Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and the other tech giants are hiring, and that the remaining “old guard” studios at Hollywood are probably looking for a few execs that they can poach from two of the oldest studios in the business.)
Also good news for anyone working in showbiz right now is that if you’re working on the TV side of Fox, then you’re probably safe, unless you’re looking to exit the studio anyway. That’s what Deadline is reporting, as aside from Meidel, who was laid off, only one other executive is gone, and he’s only gone because he quit the company. Mark Kaner, President of 20th Century Fox Television Distribution, has left the building. While more layoffs are still expected, the TV division will likely have an easier time than their film counterparts, especially since Disney+ and Hulu are going to need a lot of new original programming to compete with the likes of Netflix. With Hulu now 60% under Disney’s control, and Disney+ set to launch late this year, they need all hands on deck to revitalize an existing streaming service and successfully launch a new one.
Meanwhile, both Craig Hunegs and Dana Walden, who are execs at the Disney side of things, left some encouraging statements to their new recruits as a completely new era of film and television content begins. Consolidating ABC and the newly-acquired TV divisions are not on the cards, meaning that fewer jobs will be lost. You can read both of their statements here.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
