The Walt Disney Company has hired a former Google executive to serve as its new technology officer for its entertainment and sports businesses.
On Thursday, executives at Disney announced the appointment of Adam Smith to the role of Chief Product and Technology Officer at Disney Entertainment and ESPN. He will oversee all technology and product initiatives at Disney’s entertainment and sports brands, including Disney Plus, ESPN and Hulu.
“We could not be more thrilled to have Adam join the Disney team in this pivotal role,” said Disney co-Chairpersons Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro in a statement. “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.”
Smith most recently oversaw YouTube’s premium and music offerings, along with other subscription and commerce-based businesses associated with the video platform. During his 20 years at Google, he also helped develop and launch other products, including Google News, Google Books and Google Fiber.
“Disney has built and nurtured an unparalleled portfolio of brands bringing joy and delight to fans of all ages, thanks to a culture of creativity that embraces innovation,” Smith said in a statement of his own. “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. 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.”
Smith will step into the role vacated by Aaron LaBerge earlier this year; LaBerge is now the Chief Technology Officer at Penn Entertainment, which announced a deal last year to build and deploy a sportsbook product for ESPN.
Smith joins Disney at a time when direct-to-consumer products and ESPN are becoming a bigger priority for the company. Disney is readying plans to buy out Comcast’s stake in streaming service Hulu, giving it full operational and ownership of the platform, and remains focused on developing and deploying a standalone streaming product that will offer ESPN’s multiplex of sports networks without a traditional pay TV subscription for the first time.
Disney is also participating in a joint venture with Fox Corporation and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) called Venu Sports, which is expected to launch a premium sports-inclusive streaming service later this month.
