The Economist Group has poached a top executive in charge of the Walt Disney Company’s direct-to-consumer streaming initiatives in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
Luke Bradley-Jones has been named President and Managing Director of The Economist, a role that he will take on this summer. Bradley-Jones will be based in London, the Economist Group said in a statement, though he will have a “significant presence” in the news outlet’s New York office as well.
In a statement, the Economist Group CEO Lara Boro called Bradley-Jones “an Economist aficionado and subscriber for 30 years, [who] has the track record, vision and leadership ability to further the Economist‘s audience growth and digital innovation.”
“He knows how to create just the right products to reach global audiences on a wide variety of platforms,” Boro said. “I couldn’t be happier to have him helm our core Economist business.”
Bradley-Jones joined Disney in 2020, where he worked as the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer products in EMEA, including its flagship streaming service Disney Plus.
In his executive role, Bradley-Jones oversaw the launch of Disney Plus throughout EMEA, including partnerships with cable, satellite and Internet broadband providers who marketed the service to their subscribers.
Prior to joining Disney, Bradley-Jones worked at Comcast’s Sky Group for eight years (the early part of his career at Sky was during the company’s ownership by News Corporation, which sold it to Comcast in 2018). During his time at Sky, Bradley-Jones oversaw the development of various Sky initiatives, including the Sky Q digital television platform and the launch of Sky-branded retail stores.
Bradley-Jones also served as an executive at BBC Studios in London, overseeing the BBC’s international commercial arm, including the development and launch of a global version of its flagship iPlayer streaming platform.