Disney puts Adam Smith in charge of streaming, shifts Joe Earley to franchises
Disney has put Adam Smith in sole charge of its streaming business and moved his former co-lead Joe Earley into a new job running television franchises.
Smith will serve as chairman of direct-to-consumer for Disney Entertainment, according to Variety. Direct-to-consumer is the industry term for services sold straight to viewers, in this case Disney+ and Hulu. The appointment ends a co-presidency in which Smith and Earley jointly led that business.
As chairman, Smith oversees the full streaming operation. That covers product and engineering, meaning the apps themselves and the technology behind them, plus advertising technology, programming strategy, viewer experience, partnerships and data and analytics. In plain terms, he is responsible for how the services work, how ads are delivered, what gets scheduled and how viewing is measured.
Earley moves to the newly created role of president of Disney Entertainment Television franchise and content strategy. He will lead strategic development of the franchises held by Disney Entertainment Television, the group behind Disney's broadcast and cable entertainment brands. His brief also includes content and production for international originals, production operations, labour relations and creative talent development.
Both executives will report to Dana Walden, president and chief creative officer of Disney Entertainment. Walden sits atop the expanded entertainment segment that houses Disney's television studios, streaming platforms and related businesses.
Smith is the tech hire of the pair. He joined Disney in 2024 as chief product and technology officer for Disney Entertainment and ESPN after more than 20 years at Google and YouTube. He was promoted to co-president of direct-to-consumer alongside Earley in March, while continuing in that technology role, Disney said at the time.
Earley has been with Disney's streaming push since before launch. He joined the company in 2019 to oversee global marketing and operations for Disney+ ahead of its debut. He was named president of Hulu in 2022, then took charge of Disney's direct-to-consumer division in April 2023.
The March structure formalised a job share. According to Disney, Earley and Smith served as co-presidents of Direct to Consumer with shared responsibility for strategy and financial performance. Earley also carried the title of head of content strategy, while Smith kept his product and technology portfolio, as set out in a company release on its expanded entertainment leadership.
What makes this stand out is the split of duties. One leader now owns the platforms, the tech and the viewing experience. The other owns how TV brands are grown, supported behind the scenes and carried into new international productions.
For viewers, this means a single point of accountability for Disney+ and Hulu. Decisions about app features, ad-supported tiers and programming plans will sit with Smith, while decisions about developing franchises and nurturing creative talent sit with Earley.
The changes were reported on 17 September. No further leadership moves were disclosed.
