Hulu’s Joe Earley Tapped to Lead Disney Streaming as Michael Paull Exits
April 5, 2023
Hulu president Joe Earley is the new top streaming executive at the Walt Disney Co. as the media giant continues to shake up its management team in the wake of Bob Iger’s recent return as CEO and a mandate to shrink Disney’s payroll by 7,000 positions due to economic and market changes.
Earley officially assumes the role of president, direct-to-consumer, for Disney Entertainment. He replaces Michael Paull, the former Amazon executive who had held the same position at the now-dismantled Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution organization.
Earley will report directly to Disney Entertainment co-chairs Alan Bergman and Dana Walden. He will lead Disney Entertainment’s streaming efforts, including Disney+ and Hulu, and work closely with content teams “to continue to expand the company’s streaming efforts and drive impactful and resonant programming and engagement offerings across Disney+ and Hulu,” according to Disney.
In addition, he will continue to lead Hulu until a successor is identified.
Earley joined Disney in 2019 as one of the key strategists behind the launch of Disney+ in November of that year. He assumed the presidency of Hulu in early 2022, replacing Kelly Campbell, who departed to lead NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming platform. While at Hulu, Earley helped lead the acquisition of U.S. streaming rights to the award-winning comedy “Schitt’s Creek.”
Earley’s relationship with Walden goes back to their days at the former Fox Television Group, where he was COO and she was CEO of the business unit that included Fox Broadcasting Company, 20th Century Fox Television, Fox 21 Television Studios, Fox Consumer Products and the syndication supplier, 20th Television.
Disney acquired 21st Century Fox in 2017 for $71.3 billion.
“Joe has proven himself to be an extraordinary asset and is uniquely positioned for this role as we guide Disney’s streaming strategy into the future,” Bergman and Walden said in a statement. “His vast industry experience and deep understanding of what sets our prestigious portfolio of brands apart will be essential as we build on our robust direct-to-consumer efforts. Joe is a talented, passionate leader, committed to creative excellence, and we look forward to partnering with him in this next chapter.”
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Paull joined Disney in 2017 in tandem with the $3.8 billion piecemeal acquisition of BAMTech Media, a spinoff from MLB Advanced Media and co-owner the National Hockey League. BAMTech, now called Disney Streaming, is based in Manhattan, N.Y., and once powered the former HBO Now and PGA Tour streaming platforms.
Paull and his team subsequently played a key role in Disney’s move into streaming, launching ESPN+ in 2018, Disney+ in 2019, and general entertainment platform Star+ in Latin America in August 2021.
Prior to BAMTech, Paull spent five years at Amazon, where he ran Amazon Channels worldwide and was responsible for its global content, product, technology, operations and marketing. He also oversaw Prime Video and Amazon’s transactional VOD business in the United States, as well as the development of Prime Music.
Before joining Amazon, Paull led Sony Music’s digital business worldwide and held other senior leadership positions with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Fox Entertainment Group and Time Warner.