Whether you’re watching all of the current episodes of The Mandalorian in preparation for the new season or having a Halloween movie extravaganza, there are LOTS of things to watch on Disney+.

Now, it seems Disney+ and Disney’s other streaming options will play an even bigger role in the Walt Disney Company overall.

According to CNBC, the Walt Disney Company is restructuring its entertainment and media divisions as “streaming becomes the most important facet of the company’s business.”

As of August, Disney has 100 million paid subscribers across its streaming platforms. More than half of those individuals are subscribers to Disney+. One of Disney’s largest shareholders has actually called on Disney CEO Bob Chapek to end Disney’s annual divided and divert more capital to more new Disney+ content.

Disney has recently announced that it will be “centralizing its media businesses into a single organization that will be responsible for content distribution, ad sales and Disney+” in an effort to accelerate Disney’s direct-to-consumer strategy. Kareem Daniel, who was formerly the president of games and publishing in Disney’s Consumer Products division, will oversee the new media and entertainment distribution group.

Daniel will be responsible for making sure that the streaming becomes profitable as Disney continues to invest in its streaming offerings. CNBC notes that Disney is becoming more reliant on Disney+ because movie theaters have not been able to recover after the extensive closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mulan was initially released direct to Disney+ through Premier Access (instead of in the theaters), and Pixar’s Soul, despite original plans to be released in theaters, will be streaming exclusively on Disney+ in December.

Here are a few more updates on executive positions related to the reorganizations:

• Alan Horn and Alan Bergman will remain in charge of the Disney studios. “Walt Disney Studios, Marvel Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios, and Searchlight Pictures” all fall under their control. The studios segment will focus on creating new content to be released in theatres, on Disney+, and on Hulu;
• Peter Rice will continue to serve as the head of Disney’s general entertainment group. This includes “20th Television, ABC Signature and Touchstone Television, ABC News, Disney Channels, Freeform, FX, and National Geographic”;
• James Pitaro will stay as head of Disney’s sports content, which includes live sports programming, sports news, as well as non-scripted and original sports-related content on ESPN, ESPN+, and ABC;
• Josh D’Amaro will remain the head of Disney’s Parks, Experiences and Products Division; and
• Rebecca Campbell will continue as the chairman of direct-to-consumer and international operations. 

Campbell will report to Bob Chapek directly for anything related to international operations, but she will now report to Kareem Daniel for all matters related to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. Daniel’s new group will manage all of the distribution, operations, sales, and advertising for the Disney studios, general entertainment group, and sports content groups.

Bob Chapek has noted that Disney has plans to “accelerate [their] direct-to-consumer business” and are reorganizing the company to manage “content creation distinct from distribution [to allow Disney] to be more effective and nimble in making the content consumers want most, delivered in the way they prefer to consume it.”

The reorganization changes are all effective immediately. Disney also announced that it will be holding a virtual investor day on December 10th. So, it seems streaming will truly become a key aspect of Disney’s business. We can’t wait to see what new and exciting shows and movies we’re able to stream in the future. We’re on the lookout for more Disney news, so be sure to come back for more updates.

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The post Breaking: Disney States Streaming Will Be Primary Focus for Entertainment first appeared on the disney food blog.