Mirror Review
June 3rd, 2025
Summary:
- The Walt Disney Company is laying off several hundred employees globally in its latest round of job cuts.
- The affected departments primarily include those in Disney Entertainment, such as marketing for film and television, TV publicity, casting and development, and corporate finance.
- These Disney layoffs are part of a broader, ongoing effort by CEO Bob Iger to reduce costs and adapt to the entertainment industry’s rapid shift towards streaming services.
- Disney emphasized that no entire teams are being eliminated, describing the approach as “surgical” to minimize impact.
The Walt Disney Company is once again in the spotlight for job cuts, laying off several hundred employees worldwide as part of its ongoing restructuring plan.
A Disney spokesperson highlighted the challenging environment, stating, “As our industry transforms at a rapid pace, we continue to evaluate ways to efficiently manage our businesses while fuelling the state-of-the-art creativity and innovation that consumers value and expect from Disney”.
These Disney layoffs are part of a significant cost-cutting initiative by CEO Bob Iger, who aims to achieve at least $7.5 billion in savings.
Which Departments Are Affected by the Latest Disney Layoffs?
The job cuts are happening in several important parts of the company. Reports show that the main areas affected include:
- Marketing for both film and television units
- Television publicity
- Casting and development teams
- Corporate financial operations
Even though hundreds of employees worldwide will be impacted, Disney has said that no teams are being completely eliminated.
A spokesperson mentioned, “We have been surgical in our approach to minimise the number of impacted employees”.
All You Need to Know: Reasons Behind the Disney Layoffs
Understanding the “why” behind these recurring layoffs at Disney now involves looking at a combination of strategic shifts and market pressures:
- Big Efforts to Cut Costs:
Since Bob Iger returned as CEO, Disney has been working hard to lower its operating expenses.
This latest round of cuts continues a plan that saw about 7,000 jobs eliminated in 2023 to save $5.5 billion. That savings goal later grew to at least $7.5 billion.
- The Streaming Revolution:
How people watch entertainment is changing fast. More and more viewers are dropping traditional cable TV for streaming platforms.
This change has pushed Disney to rethink its business, investing heavily in services like Disney+, Hulu, and its upcoming standalone ESPN streaming service.
In its latest earnings, Disney’s income from linear networks dropped by 13% compared to last year, while revenue from its streaming services went up by 8%.
- Focusing on Quality Over Quantity:
CEO Bob Iger admitted that when Disney first pushed to build its streaming library, it might have made too much content just to compete with services like Netflix.
Now, the company is pulling back a bit to focus on making top-quality original shows and movies that live up to Disney’s historically high standards.
- Making Streaming Profitable:
For several years, Disney invested billions into its streaming services. There has been significant pressure from investors to make these ventures profitable.
Recent earnings reports indicate success in this area, with streaming delivering strong results and an increase in operating profit.
- Broader Industry Trends and Economic Factors:
Disney isn’t alone. Many traditional media companies are facing economic challenges and are undergoing similar restructuring processes to keep up with the new digital-focused world.
A Pattern of Restructuring at Walt Disney
These latest Disney layoffs are part of many job reductions over the last year and a half, with the company cutting over 8,000 positions.
Notable recent rounds include:
- March 2025: Just under 200 employees (nearly 6% of the workforce) in the ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks.
- September 2024: Around 300 employees across corporate operations, including legal, HR, finance, and communications.
- October 2024: Restructuring led to about 30 layoffs in Disney Entertainment Television after ABC Signature was closed and TV script teams were combined.
- July 2024: Roughly 140 people were cut, primarily in the Disney Entertainment unit, including 60 at National Geographic.
Disney’s Performance and What’s Next
Despite these layoffs, Disney announced better-than-expected financial results in May 2025. They made $23.6 billion in total revenue in the first three months of 2025, which is a 7% jump from the same time in 2024.
This growth was largely thanks to new subscribers signing up for its Disney+ streaming service and strong business at its theme parks.
Also, the company’s stock price has jumped over 20% since this positive news came out.
Looking to the future, Disney is still investing in its theme parks and resorts, with Iger even talking about creating new jobs in that area.
The company is also getting ready to launch a separate ESPN streaming service.
Conclusion
The ongoing Disney layoffs show that the company is adapting to a changing entertainment industry.
Now these job cuts are tough for the hundreds of employees affected, but Disney sees them as important steps to create a leaner, more innovative company ready for growth in the age of streaming and whatever comes next.
The main goal for Disney is to find the right balance between saving money and continuing to create the amazing content and experiences that people expect from the historic brand.
