Disney has shifted its focus to direct-to-customer streaming, and today it announced a new chief technology officer for the Disney Streaming business segment, which comprises Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN Plus, and Star Plus. Jeremy Doig is a 30-year veteran of the technology business who has worked for the BBC, Microsoft, and Google for the last 18 years.
According to a news announcement announcing the hire, he worked on audio and video compression technology as well as streaming protocols used by YouTube and Chrome. He’s also worked on spatial experiences and is said to have played a role in Google’s Android virtual reality initiatives.
Doig will report to Disney Streaming president Michael Paull, who was appointed in January to oversee the company’s numerous services globally. “Jeremy is a real visionary who has spent over 30 years at the crossroads of technology and media, and we are happy to welcome him to the Disney Streaming leadership team,” Paull said in the announcement.
Long before Disney Plus premiered, and even before Disney acquired Fox and obtained complete control of Hulu, the business acquired baseball’s technology team BAMTech (Paull served as its former CEO) to build the framework around which it is built. Despite a rough start for Disney Plus, the investment has paid off in the form of a service that is fast expanding into new nations, with features like individual profiles, 4K, and Dolby Vision HDR becoming practically expected.
Nonetheless, not all services use the same technology, and Disney’s new leadership group may want to integrate Hulu and the company’s other services. That’s before we consider any future investments in augmented reality, virtual reality, or the metaverse, as well as the imminent launch of an ad-supported version of Disney Plus, live streaming, or gaming.
