Variety: Disney’s Asad Ayaz to Oversee Entertainment Marketing, Shannon Ryan Duties Expand to Include Streaming With Hulu-Disney+ Merger

Story from Variety:

With Disney+ and Hulu set to merge in 2026 — and Hulu’s standalone app going away — Disney is reshuffling the marketing leadership of its entertainment division.

Asad Ayaz, appointed as the first chief brand officer for the Walt Disney Co. in 2023, is now also adding the role of president of Disney Entertainment Marketing, with oversight of marketing teams across the division. Ayaz now reports to Disney Entertainment co-chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, and he will continue as one of CEO Bob Iger’s direct reports. Ayaz will now oversee marketing for studios, TV and streaming while continuing to lead brand strategy for Disney overall under Iger, including managing the company’s in-house creative agencies.

In addition, Shannon Ryan, previously president of marketing for Disney Entertainment Television, will add direct-to-consumer services to her portfolio and oversee a newly integrated team across Disney+ and Hulu while continuing to lead marketing for television content. Her new title is president, DTC and Disney Entertainment Television marketing. Ryan previously reported to Walden; she will now report to Ayaz while remaining on Walden’s leadership team.

Samantha Rosenberg, who has led Disney+ marketing as executive VP, and Barrie Gruner, EVP of Hulu marketing, will both report to Ryan.

The consolidation of Disney’s DTC marketing teams under Ryan follows last week’s announcement that Disney will fully integrate Hulu into Disney+. The new “unified” Disney+ and Hulu streaming app will be available in 2026, with the standalone Hulu platform to be retired (although users will still be able to subscribe to each individual service, according to the company). In addition, the Hulu brand will going global, replacing the Star tile on Disney+ internationally starting this fall.

Putting Ayaz in charge of all Disney Entertainment marketing will “create a more unified strategy across streaming, film, and television,” Walden and Bergman wrote in a memo to staff (read it below). Regarding Ryan’s new role, the co-chairs said that having “one cohesive DTC marketing team will enable us to speak to consumers with greater efficiency and impact, and this new structure will also create a deeper connection and collaboration across all of our marketing efforts.”

A 20-year Disney veteran, Ayaz previously was president of marketing for Walt Disney Studios. Ryan joined Disney in 2019 with the company’s acquisition of the 21st Century Fox businesses. She had previously served as chief marketing officer of the Fox Television Group, and had worked at Fox Broadcasting for 13 years.