Disney is eliminating several hundred positions across its entertainment businesses, with Pixar, National Geographic and ESPN among the divisions most affected by the latest round of cost reductions, according to company-wide memos and numerous reports published on Tuesday.
The cuts include just under 100 positions across Disney Entertainment Television, according to reports published Tuesday. Most of those layoffs are concentrated at National Geographic, affecting employees in the cable network’s editorial and operational units.
About a dozen positions at ABC News are also being eliminated, along with a smaller number of jobs across other television operations.
Pixar is expected to cut a high single-digit percentage of its approximately 1,100 employees, translating to fewer than 100 positions. The reductions span production and operations. The animation studio previously eliminated about 175 jobs in May 2024 as it reduced its direct-to-consumer series output and refocused on theatrical films.
The latest cuts come despite a stronger recent performance from Pixar’s film business. “Hoppers” and “Toy Story 5” have generated close to $1.4 billion in combined worldwide ticket sales, according to industry estimates cited in the reports.
ESPN is separately reducing staff as it integrates NFL Network and other media assets acquired through its transaction with the National Football League.
The February agreement gave the NFL a 10 percent ownership stake in ESPN in exchange for NFL Network and related properties. The deal valued ESPN at approximately $30 billion.
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro told employees the company had reviewed overlapping teams, resources and organizational structures as part of the integration.
“As a result, we had to make some difficult decisions about job impacts that we will be communicating today,” Pitaro wrote in a memo sent to ESPN employees on Tuesday. “While most of the job impacts are tied to the acquisition, we will also notify colleagues in other parts of the company today that their positions have been impacted. We are committed to treating employees with compassion and respect and to providing support as they navigate this transition.”
Most of the affected positions are in production and other behind-the-scenes operations, though several on-air personalities are also leaving.
Those departures include Karl Ravech, ESPN’s lead Major League Baseball play-by-play announcer, and NFL analyst Ryan Clark. Ravech joined the network in 1993, while Clark became an ESPN contributor in 2015 following a 13-season NFL career.
Disney Chief Executive Officer Josh D’Amaro previously said the company was examining ways to streamline operations and build a more agile, technology-enabled workforce.
Disney employed approximately 231,000 people at the end of fiscal 2025, including about 172,000 in the United States. The company’s workforce is substantially larger than those of most media rivals because of its theme parks and experiences businesses.
