(Reuters) -Walt Disney Co said on Thursday it has named Dana Walden chairman of General Entertainment Content, overseeing original programming for Disney’s streaming platforms and its cable and broadcast networks.
She replaces Peter Rice, who is leaving the company.
Walden will have oversight of ABC Entertainment, ABC News, Disney Branded Television, Disney Television Studios, Freeform, FX, Hulu Originals, National Geographic Content and Onyx Collective, and report directly to Chief Executive Bob Chapek.
“Dana is a dynamic, collaborative leader and cultural force who in just three years has transformed our television business into a content powerhouse that consistently delivers the entertainment audiences crave,” Chapek said in a statement.
Rice, who held the post of chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content, was let go in a company meeting on Wednesday, citing an ill fit with Disney’s corporate culture, according to The New York Times.
(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles and Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Bill Berkrot)
