Disney has made some key executive additions to its subscription streaming business, hiring 13-year YouTube veteran Adam Smith as chief product and technology officer.
Smith, who previously served as vice president of product management at Google, overseeing subscription products YouTube Music and YouTube Premium, will report to Disney Entertainment co-chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden, as well as ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro.
Smith will assume responsibility for the global product and technology group covering Disney's entertainment and sports media businesses, starting Sept. 3. According to the company, Smith will be responsible for “driving the technology strategy, development, deployment and continued innovation across the company's streaming platforms and networks, portfolio of consumer digital touchpoints, proprietary advertising technology and emerging technologies.”
“We have been aggressively enhancing our technology capabilities to better support our world-class media, streaming and advertising businesses. Adam brings a bold, consumer-centric vision for the future and a proven ability to effectively lead global teams in ambitious, scalable and flexible product and technology implementations that will continue to elevate storytelling as the heart of the Disney experience,” Bergman, Walden and Pitaro said in a joint statement.
At YouTube, Smith helped build some of the company's largest consumer products, bringing its Music and Premium services to more than 100 million subscribers.
Smith added: “Thanks to a culture of creativity that values innovation, Disney has built and nurtured an unparalleled portfolio of brands that bring joy and entertainment to fans of all ages. I believe Disney is uniquely positioned to thrive in the next evolution of media, and we have made great strides in a very short period of time while keeping storytelling top of mind.”
