After the shocking news that Peter Rice has been ousted as the head of TV content for Disney, and will be replaced by his top lieutenant, Dana Walden, media insiders are left scratching their heads and speculating about the behind-the-scenes dealmaking taking place. For the uninitiated, Variety has put together a primer on the incoming and outgoing heads of Disney television.Peter Rice*Bio:Born and raised in the U.K., Rice's family was close to Rupert Murdoch’s family, which lead to a Fox...
Peter
Rice
Chairman, General Entertainment Content
Rice was challenged to steer Disney’s dramatic October 2020 restructuring of its content, marketing, sales and distribution operations under CEO Bob Chapek. In the new configuration, he managed TV content production and editorial operations of ABC and Disney, with the big exception of ESPN. But revenue-generating aspects of the studio and networks business moved to Rice’s counterpart in distribution, Kareem Daniel, who serves as chairman of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution. Rice grappled with a leadership change at ABC News, with CBS News alum Kimberly Godwin succeeding James Goldston as president in April. Rice left Disney in June 2022, leaving behind a team under successor Dana Walden that is set on keeping the pipeline of sticky TV content coming to Disney’s in-house platforms at a time of tough competition and intense scrutiny of quarterly financials.