Dana Walden has been named as the new chair of Disney General Entertainment Content, making her responsible for programming for the Burbank media giant’s streaming platforms and its cable and broadcast networks.
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, according to a release from Disney.
She previously served as chair of entertainment for Walt Disney Television and replaces Peter Rice, who is leaving the company. Walden’s appointment is effective immediately and she will report directly to Chief Executive Bob Chapek.
Walden and Rice have worked closely together for years to create the best programming in the industry, Chapek said, and he could think of no one better than Walden to lead Disney General Entertainment to even greater heights.
“Her well-earned reputation for championing creative talent and developing programming that truly captures the cultural zeitgeist has resulted in hit after hit, from ABC’s (sitcom) ‘Abbott Elementary’ and Onyx Collective’s Academy Award-winning (documentary film) ‘Summer of Soul,’ to Hulu Originals like ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ ‘The Dropout’ and ‘The Kardashians,’” Chapek said in a statement.
“Disney General Entertainment’s culture of creative excellence and originality has made us home to many of the most talented creators in the business,” Walden said in a statement.
Walden joined Disney in 2019 with the company’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox, and in her role leading Entertainment for Walt Disney Television, she oversaw Disney Television Studios and the original entertainment slates and content marketing for ABC, Freeform, Hulu Originals and Onyx Collective, the Disney release said.
Shares of Disney closed down $4.04, or nearly 3.8%, to $103.30 on the New York Stock Exchange, on a day when the Dow Jones closed down nearly 2%.