18 Dec Disney’s Top Dealmaker Kevin Mayer Talks Fox Plans and that New Streaming Service [THR]
By Natalie Jarvey
December 18, 2018 | In March, the onetime Clear Channel Interactive CEO was promoted to run Disney’s newly created direct-to-consumer and international division that houses ESPN+, the upcoming Disney+ streaming service and a soon-to-be majority stake in Hulu, effectively putting him in charge of the 95-year-old company’s future and fueling speculation that he could succeed Iger when the CEO steps down in 2021. Charting a new path for Disney and taking on Netflix won’t be easy (or cheap) for Mayer, 56, and the team he’s assembled, including former studio marketing chief Ricky Strauss, who has been tasked with building up a library of new original shows (The Mandalorian) and movies (Lady and the Tramp) to complement a library of Pixar, Lucasfilm and Marvel titles. But the $165 billion media conglomerate can’t rely on movie ticket sales and TV subscribers forever. Notes Mayer, “Having a better relationship with our consumer puts us in control of our own destiny.”
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