Disney layoffs hit hundreds across film, TV, and corporate divisions

The Walt Disney Company is letting go of hundreds of employees in a fresh wave of layoffs that is sweeping through its entertainment operations.

The job cuts are hitting multiple departments, including film and TV marketing, casting, publicity, development, and even corporate finance, according to reports by Deadline.

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This latest round is reportedly one of the largest in the past ten months, as Disney continues to trim its workforce in a bid to cut costs and streamline its business.

Staff members in Los Angeles, where Disney Entertainment Television is primarily based, appear to be among the most heavily impacted.

The layoffs are part of a broader restructuring effort led by Disney CEO Bob Iger, who returned to the top role in late 2022. When he came back, Iger announced an ambitious plan to reduce expenses by at least $7.5 billion. So far, around 7,000 positions have already been eliminated as part of that target.

This is now the fourth round of significant Disney layoffs within the company’s entertainment branches. The job losses reflect the ongoing challenges traditional media companies are facing as they pivot toward streaming in an increasingly competitive market.

At the same time, they’re also grappling with slowing revenues, higher content costs, and a general tightening of budgets across the industry.

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Earlier this year, about 200 Disney employees were let go in March. Those cuts hit roughly 6% of the workforce at ABC News and various Disney Entertainment Networks, including Freeform and FX. In October last year, a major shake-up saw the closure of ABC Signature.

Its responsibilities were merged into 20th Television, while the scripted content teams from ABC and Hulu Originals were consolidated—resulting in about 30 job losses.

Even lower-ranking executives haven’t been spared. A number of development roles have been eliminated, including those in drama programming at ABC Hulu, signaling that the restructuring isn’t just affecting large teams or departments, it’s reaching into every level of the organization.

While Disney has yet to officially confirm the total number of jobs lost in this latest round, reports say the film and TV sides of Disney Entertainment are seeing cuts on a similar scale.