Disney Entertainment and ESPN have a new technology and product chief, on Thursday naming long-time YouTube exec Adam Smith to the role.
Smith was hired as chief product & technology officer for the entertainment and sports media businesses, which includes linear TV networks, streamers Disney+, Hulu and the ESPN sports unit. In his new role, Smith is tasked with spearheading technology strategy, development, deployment and innovation across Disney’s streaming platforms and networks, consumer digital touchpoints, in-house advertising technology and more.
Smith starts at Disney effective September 3, jointly reporting to Disney Entertainment co-chairs Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro. He joins the company following the exit of Aaron LaBerge in June, who left to become CTO of sports betting company Penn Entertainment. ESPN and Penn Entertainment last year announced a deal to launch an ESPN-branded sportsbook, ESPN Bet.
Smith is a seasoned technology executive, counting a more than 20-year tenure at Google and YouTube where he held senior roles across multiple divisions. Most recently, Smith was VP of Product Management at YouTube, where he led Music and Premium, as well as Subscriptions and Commerce since 2016.
In a joint statement the three Disney chairmen said, “We’ve been aggressive in advancing our technological capabilities to better support our world-class media, streaming and advertising businesses, and Adam brings a bold, consumer-focused vision for the future and a proven ability to effectively lead global teams in implementing ambitious, scalable and flexible products and technology that will continue to elevate storytelling as the center of the Disney experience.”
In announcing the hire, Disney emphasized Smith’s hand in building out YouTube’s consumer-facing products, such as driving its Music and Premium offering to more than 100 million subscribers. At Google his positions also included leading global Content and Product across kids, sports, news and education. Prior to Google, Smith held roles at Random House/Bertelsmann.
“I believe Disney is uniquely positioned to thrive in the next evolution of media and has made significant progress in a very short time while keeping storytelling front and center,” stated in Smith in the announcement. “I look forward to working closely with Alan, Dana and Jimmy and their top-notch teams and am excited to bring my expertise in utilizing technology to build compelling consumer experiences that will drive engagement and discovery among fans, families and friends.”
Disney in the most recent quarter turned its first profit across the company’s streaming services (Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+), which generated $47 million in operating income. And Smith is taking over technology and product as the media company has been making efforts to more tightly integrate certain apps. That includes merging Hulu content within the Disney+ app earlier this year to create a unified user experience for U.S. subscribers of the Disney Bundle. Increasing engagement and reducing churn are two of the aims in bringing together its different streaming experiences, executives have noted, and Disney also plans to introduce an ESPN tile on Disney+ later this year.
On the streaming product side, it recently introduced content playlists on Disney+, where starting early next month U.S. subscribers can access ABC News Live and a playlist focused on preschool programming. Later it plans to add four more curated feeds for subscribers of its Premium plan, tailored to their interests.
“As we continue to invest in and improve our recommendation engine technology, we plan to expand this feature over time to include additional programmed playlists,” Disney leadership said in commentary alongside FYQ3 earnings. “These efforts are all part of our commitment to offer an unrivaled streaming experience that delivers greater value for subscribers as well as supports our goal of driving higher margins and improved returns on our content investment.”
It’s also working to build up technology for advertisers on its streaming platforms. Disney said more than 40% of ad dollars it secured commitments for at this year’s Upfront are addressable, including streaming and digital.
In the pipeline, Disney plans to launch a flagship standalone ESPN DTC offering, as well as the Venu Sports streaming service expected this fall under a joint venture with Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery.