Disney planning thousands of layoffs: sources

[BURBANK, California] Walt Disney Co is moving toward thousands of job cuts with the entertainment giant asking some managers to target 20 per cent in annual cost savings, according to people familiar with the matter. 

The savings could come from job eliminations as well as from expense reductions, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. 

Some of Disney’s operations, which include theme parks, TV channels and the movie studio, will be affected disproportionately. CEO Josh D’Amaro aims to reinvest a portion of the savings into film and TV programming, technology and the theme parks and cruise ship businesses, the people added. 

The company has promised double-digit growth in adjusted earnings per share in the current fiscal year. 

A representative for Disney declined to comment.

Disney has cut billions of dollars worth of costs and eliminated thousands of positions in recent years, with reductions impacting every division including ABC, Pixar, ESPN, the film studio and the experiences unit. The company had 231,000 people worldwide at the end of the last fiscal year. 

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The Wall Street Journal reported on Oct 1 that Disney was planning a restructuring of its TV division, and cuts at the company’s legal and global affairs unit. 

Other entertainment companies including Netflix, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Skydance’s Paramount and Warner Bros divisions have also cut jobs as revenue from traditional television declines and streaming subscriber growth slows. They also have to cope with more viewers tuning to social media, online videos and streaming services backed by tech giants like Amazon.com and Apple. 

At the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles last month, Disney president Dana Walden said that “there is a need to constantly evaluate how you’re structured and how big is the organisation. Technology set their sights on our business, and we must survive and thrive and grow, and that’s what we’re going to do.” BLOOMBERG