Disney poised to make cuts among UK-based roles

Last Monday (27 March), Walt Disney Company chief executive Bob Iger set out the timeline for his strategy to cut £2.4bn ($3bn) from content budgets and £2bn ($2.5bn) of other costs.

The ripple effects are due to be felt in the coming weeks and multiple sources indicated that cuts to London-based positions are expected, including among the Disney+ EMEA teams.

One well-placed source suggested that the cuts, which will also impact budgets, could affected scripted comedy and drama. Disney+ had a hit with UK comedy drama Extraordinary earlier this year and has a number of high-profile shows coming up, such as Jilly Cooper’s Rivals, which is due to film this summer.

When Rivals was announced, Disney said: “Across EMEA alone, Disney’s International Content and Operations team plan to create 60 local productions by 2024.”

Iger sent a memo to staff last Monday [27 March] saying that Disney needs a “more effective, co-ordinated and streamlined approach to our business.” According to reports he also told an investor conference recently that the company’s streaming service had to “better rationalise” costs.disney t-shirts for adults