Disney Has New Layoffs Across TV and Film Teams

Another round of layoffs hit Disney on Monday.

Today, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ADWEEK that several hundred staffers across Disney Entertainment’s marketing departments for film and TV, as well as TV publicity, casting, and development, were affected globally. The financial operations team was also affected. The majority of employees impacted were reportedly based in Los Angeles, though no entire teams were eliminated. Deadline first reported the news.

According to the sources, the company is continuing to evaluate ways to efficiently manage its businesses while “fueling the state-of-the-art creativity and innovation that consumers value and expect” from Disney. The company has supposedly been “surgical” in its approach to minimize the number of impacted employees.

This is the fourth round of layoffs Disney has conducted over the past year, primarily affecting its TV operations. The first round of layoffs took place last July when the company laid off 140 members of its Disney Entertainment Television workforce, with National Geographic getting hit the hardest.

Last October, ABC Signature was closed, resulting in its remaining operations being folded into 20th Television, while the ABC and Hulu Originals scripted drama and comedy divisions were combined into a single unit. Meanwhile, Disney laid off nearly 200 employees across the ABC News Group and entertainment networks in March.

The recent news of layoffs comes shortly after Disney’s earnings call and TV upfront week last month. During the earnings call, CEO Bob Iger said he was optimistic about the company despite economic headwinds. The Disney upfront presentation featured several announcements across the company’s ESPN, ABC, Disney+, Hulu, and FX brands.

The layoffs also come amid Disney’s push further into streaming, with its ESPN streamer launching later this year.