BURBANK, Calif. (Diya TV) — The Walt Disney Company is reshaping its streaming leadership as it pushes to make digital platforms the center of its business. The move follows the departure of a senior executive and signals a stronger focus on profitability, advertising, and user data.
Ajay Arora, senior vice president of product management and engineering, will leave Disney on April 30 after spending nearly five years at the company. In an internal memo, product and technology chief Adam Smith said Arora chose to pursue a new opportunity. Smith thanked Arora for leading key areas such as commerce, growth, and account management across Disney’s streaming platforms, including Disney+ and ESPN’s digital products.
Disney is using this leadership change to reorganize its Commerce, Data, and Identity teams. The company plans to fold these functions into broader product and monetization groups. The goal is to improve coordination and speed up decision-making. The company wants streaming to serve as the “digital centerpiece” of its relationship with customers. This shift reflects growing competition in the streaming market. It also shows Disney’s push to increase revenue from subscriptions and ads.
Under the new structure, the Commerce and Identity Product group will join Disney’s centralized product management team. It will also align with the company’s direct-to-consumer streaming division.
Several executives are taking on expanded roles, with Georgina Hill leading the commerce product, Chuck Mortimer overseeing identity, and Ana Pavlovic heading messaging. All three will report to Erin Teague, who heads product management for Disney’s streaming division.
At the same time, Disney will shift its Data Product and Engineering group under Tony Donohoe. He serves as executive vice president of the company’s advertising platform. This move will connect data operations more closely with Disney’s ad business. Alek Zdziarski will lead data engineering. Romit Mehta will continue to oversee the data product on an interim basis. Both will report to Donohoe.
Disney’s restructuring highlights its focus on first-party data and advertising. The company has expanded its ad-supported streaming tiers. It is also investing in tools that measure audience behavior. Internal data platforms, including Disney’s Atlas system, play a key role in this strategy. These tools help the company understand how users interact with content. They also support targeted advertising and personalized experiences. By integrating data teams with ad technology, Disney hopes to boost efficiency and aims to create better insights for advertisers and improve revenue growth.
As part of the changes, Disney will dissolve its Commerce, Data, and Identity alliance. The company will absorb its responsibilities into other teams. Leaders expect to share more details about this transition in the coming weeks. Media companies are streamlining operations to cut costs and improve performance. They are also focusing on core business areas that drive revenue.
