Disney Promotes Alisa Bowen to President of Disney+

Disney has named Alisa Bowen, who led global business operations for Walt Disney’s streaming platforms, as the new president of Disney+.

Bowen has led the operations for Disney’s streaming platforms, including Disney+, since the rollout in 2019, the company said in a press release (Sept. 29). Disney has seen mass expansions in that time, having expanded to 154 markets globally. Its total subscriptions also hit 152.1 million.

In her new role, Bowen will report to Michael Paull, president of Disney’s direct-to-consumer unit.

“Alisa has been an indispensable member of our leadership team since the inception of Disney+,” Paull said in the release. “She possesses a rare and valuable combination of deep institutional knowledge, forward-thinking innovation, and global vision rooted in a strong focus on our consumer, that is perfectly suited for this critical role, and I am confident that she will have an immediate and positive impact on the business.”

Disney is also looking into a new membership program to try and add more spending for streaming, parks, resorts and merchandise, in a move similar to Amazon Prime.

The discussions were still in early stages as of early August, with some executives nicknaming it “Disney Prime” — though the reports stressed that this wouldn’t be the actual name of the platform.

Read more: Disney Eyes Discounts, Perk Membership Program

The platform could have the effect of offering more value for customers and prompt them to spend more on its numerous products. Disney would also end up getting more information on customer preferences through this platform.

This all comes as CEO Bob Chapek has wanted the company to do more cross-selling, as he’s said the company should optimize its “unique synergy machine” — with one of the company’s virtues being its ease of reaching people in many ways.

Kristina Schake, senior executive vice president and chief communications officer with the company, has said technology has offered “new ways to customize and personalize the consumer experience, so that we are delivering entertainment, experiences and products that are most relevant to each of our guests.”

The Disney+ streaming service has done well for itself over the course of the pandemic, adding 14.4 million new subscribers for the quarter ending July 2 — a bigger number than rival Netflix had for that period.