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Two-and-a-half months after Disney assumed full operational control over Hulu, the first organizational change is about to hit the streaming service.
Disney announced today it is integrating development of Hulu’s original scripted drama and comedy programming into its own TV team. As part of that restructuring, Craig Erwich, Hulu’s svp of scripted originals, will report to Dana Walden, chairman of Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment. Erwich and his team will remain at Hulu’s Santa Monica headquarters.
The rest of Hulu’s leadership structure remains unchanged for now. Its unscripted original programming, original film development and licensed live and on-demand content acquisition teams will continue reporting to Hulu CEO Randy Freer. Also, Hulu’s business and marketing teams will still oversee the streaming service’s overall content strategy, capital allocation and investment decisions.
“As Hulu drives toward its ambitious subscriber and engagement goals, it is important that we take full advantage of the creative resources and production capabilities of Disney Television Studios, which are among the best in the world,” Freer said in a statement. “Craig and his scripted originals team have created a broad, award-winning slate of programming for Hulu that drives culture and inspires conversation, and we’re looking forward to growing that caliber of scripted dramas and comedies on Hulu with the additional power of Walt Disney Television behind it.”
In May, Disney assumed full operational control over Hulu from Comcast, but until today, it hadn’t implemented any public strategy changes at the streaming service.
“Hulu Originals have been widely recognized for their originality, boldness and high level of quality. They are a meaningful part of what has driven the platform’s impressive growth over the past few years. Craig and his team have done excellent work,” Walden said in a statement. “I am excited to work with Randy in this next phase of Hulu. This new structure will enable Hulu to have access to many of the best creators in the world and programming from all of the content engines inside of Walt Disney Television.”
Erwich appeared last week at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour in L.A. to announce the streaming service had renewed its most popular show, The Handmaid’s Tale, and ordered a pair of new series featuring Amy Schumer and Padma Lakshmi.
Earlier this month, Hulu received 20 Emmy nominations, including 11 for The Handmaid’s Tale.
Hulu now has 28 million U.S. subscribers overall, with 26.8 million monthly paid subscribers and 1.3 million promotional accounts.
