Disney Marketing Assembles New Leadership Team for Streaming Era
A spoonful of synergy helps the marketing go down
Disney announced that veteran executives Asad Ayaz and Shannon Ryan are stepping into expanded roles to create a more unified and efficient marketing powerhouse across the company’s film, television, and streaming divisions.
What’s Happening:
- The Walt Disney Company is realigning its marketing leadership.
- Asad Ayaz has been named Chief Brand Officer, TWDC, and President, Disney Entertainment Marketing. In this expanded role, Ayaz will now oversee all marketing for Disney’s studios, television, and streaming services, reporting directly to Disney Entertainment co-chairs Alan Bergman and Dana Walden. He will also continue leading brand strategy for the entire company under CEO Bob Iger.
- Ayaz is a 20-year Disney veteran behind the campaigns for blockbusters like Avatar: The Way of Water, Avengers: Endgame, Frozen II, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as well as streaming hits like The Mandalorian and Loki.
- Shannon Ryan will now serve as President, DTC and Disney Entertainment Television Marketing. Ryan will add direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing to her portfolio, leading a newly combined team for Disney+ and Hulu. She will continue to oversee marketing for television content and will now report to Asad Ayaz.
- Ryan has spearheaded marketing for acclaimed television and streaming series, including Abbott Elementary, Only Murders in the Building, The Handmaid's Tale, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
- A more cohesive team. Hulu marketing chief Barrie Gruner and Disney+ marketing chief Samantha Rosenberg will now report directly to Shannon Ryan, unifying the marketing efforts for both streaming platforms.
- The promotions come as Disney prepares for the launch of a unified, standalone Hulu and Disney+ app in 2026. The new structure is designed to create a single, best-in-class marketing team.
The Road to a Unified Disney Streamer
- This marketing reorganization is the latest step in a multi-year strategy to bring Disney's streaming assets under one roof.
- The journey began with Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox, which gave it a majority stake in Hulu.
- For years, Hulu operated as a distinct entity, known for its more adult-oriented content, while Disney+ cultivated a strictly family-friendly brand.
- In November 2023, Disney officially agreed to buy Comcast's remaining 33% stake in Hulu for at least $8.61 billion, giving it full operational control.
- In December 2023, Disney launched the "Hulu on Disney+" experience, a beta phase where the Hulu tile appeared within the Disney+ app for bundle subscribers, merging the two content libraries for the first time.
- The move is central to Disney's goal of making its streaming business consistently profitable. In the third quarter of 2025, the combined Disney+ and Hulu services reported a profit of $346 million and added 2.6 million subscribers, bringing their combined total to 183.3 million.
- Disney plans to launch a single, unified, standalone app for Hulu and Disney+ in 2026. This marketing leadership change is a crucial move to ensure that when this new app arrives, the company is speaking to consumers with one clear, compelling voice, blending the power of both iconic brands.
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