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On Monday, numerous Disney employees lost their jobs as the company aims to concentrate more on its expanding streaming services.
The layoffs affect multiple teams around the world, including film and television marketing, television publicity and casting and development.
No teams were completely eliminated, and an insider told the Los Angles Times that ABC News and ESPN largely escaped the job cuts.
Despite this shift, the news channel continues to attract a robust audience for its broadcasts, even as the ABC network and Disney’s entertainment channels face significant declines in viewer numbers, with more people turning to streaming alternatives.
ABC’s evening lineup has been hit hard, with just three programs securing a place in Nielsen’s top 20: Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, and High Potential, as reported by the LA Times.
ESPN, meanwhile, was spared the ax as it prepares for the launch of its own streaming service.
The exact number of Disney employees who were laid off on Monday remains unclear.
But it represents the fourth and largest round of layoffs at the storied entertainment company in just the last 10 months, Deadline reports.
Hundreds of Disney employees in film and television marketing, television publicity and casting and development were laid off on Monday
The layoffs came as the company seeks to refocus its business on its growing streaming platforms
CEO Bob Iger set the pace upon his return as the head of the company in 2023, when he established a goal of at least $7.5 billion in cost reductions with at least 7,000 jobs eliminated.
Those cuts continued in early March of this year, when about 200 employees were laid off – representing about six percent of the workforce at ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks.
The company has also consolidated some of its roles, shutting down ABC Signature last year and rolling its operations into 20th Century.
ABC News shows 20/20 and Nightline were also consolidated into one unit earlier this year, and the ABC and Hulu Originals scripted drama and comedy teams were also merged into one operation.
That resulted in about 30 Disney Entertainment Television layoffs, after other staff cuts last year saw roughly 140 people in the division- or about two percent of the company’s total workforce – lose their jobs.
Those cuts largely affected employees at National Geographic, according to Deadline.
Yet Monday’s layoffs comes just weeks after Disney reported better-than-expected second quarter earnings.
CEO Bob Iger announced last month that Disney performed better than Wall Street had projected in the second quarter of 2025
Iger announced last month that the company earned $23.6 billion in revenue for the three months that ended March 29, a seven percent increase compared with the same quarter a year earlier.
Earnings before taxes totaled $3.1 billion, up $2.4 billion from last year.
Much of the revenue increases came from streaming services, with Disney’s direct-to-consumer operating profit increasing from $289 million to $336 million.
Disney also received an unexpected boost from its experiences, including its theme parks and cruises.
Iger now wants to create new jobs in the Disney experiences field, he said at an annual shareholder meeting earlier this year.
He also told shareholders last month that he remains ‘optimistic’ about Disney’s current fiscal year guidance, projecting earnings per share to be up 16 percent when compared to last year, Variety reports.
By the end of the fiscal year, Iger said he also expects to see double-digit increases in operating income for tis entertainment and sports segments, as well as a six to eight percent increase in operating revenue from its theme park and consumer products business.
But following the news of the layoffs on Monday, the company saw its shares dip nine cents to close at $112.95.
