Already reeling from his clumsy handling of last summer's ugly Scarlett Johansson salary dispute and his costly flip-flopping over Florida's far right-backed “Don’t Say Gay” education law, Disney CEO Bob Chapek is taking flak once again. 

After his abrupt firing of Disney Entertainment Chairman Peter Rice was revealed on Thursday, The Hollywood Reporter put out a fishing net for rival studio execs and Disney insiders unhappy with the way the Chapek handled the ouster. The trade ended up dredging up quite the catch (although no one wanted their name attached to their comments).

• According to ”one of the most powerful executives in media” — “Chapek just made another massive mistake.”

• A “high-level executive at a Disney competitor” — “By firing the guy this way, everyone else says, ‘Is this what he’ll do to me?’ ”

• A “Disney insider” — “It’s horrendous. It’s not good for the company. Morale is terrible.”

• Another ”Disney insider“ — “I wonder if Chapek has even been aware that Rice held Zoom town halls and Q&As throughout the pandemic that really made him a presence in the lives of us rank-and-file schlubs.”

Disney stock is down nearly 5% since news of Rice's firing leaked out Thursday morning. One rival studio exec put blame on Disney chairwoman Susan Arnold for not re-upping Chapek’s contract until the last minute. 

“You let the CEO get within a year of his contract being up,”  one longtime industry power player said. “That by itself is a statement of nonsupport. A vote of confidence is nonsense. It is the most Mickey Mouse company. It’s so dysfunctional.”

The Disney board put out this statement Thursday: “The strength of The Walt Disney Company's businesses coming out of the pandemic is a testament to Bob’s leadership and vision for the company’s future. In this important time of business growth and transformation, we are committed to keeping Disney on the successful path it is on today, and Bob and his leadership team have the support and confidence of the Board.” ▪️

The Walt Disney Co. suddenly has a new head of television content in Dana Walden.

Walden was moved up after Peter Rice was removed as head of Disney’s general entertainment content unit by CEO Bob Chapek.

Chapek, who has been under pressure for Disney’s uneven streaming growth and for political missteps in Florida, has named Walden chairman, Disney General Entertainment Content.

Walden, who was chairman, entertainment for Walt Disney Television, will oversee ABC Entertainment, ABC News, Disney Branded Television, Disney Television Studios, Freeform, FX Hulu Originals, National Geographic content and Onyx Collective. 

 “Dana is a dynamic, collaborative leader and cultural force who in just three years has transformed our television business into a content powerhouse that consistently delivers the entertainment audiences crave,” Chapek said. “Her well-earned reputation for championing creative talent and developing programming that truly captures the cultural zeitgeist has resulted in hit after hit, from ABC’s Abbott Elementary and Onyx Collective’s Academy Award-winning Summer of Soul, to Hulu Originals like Only Murders in the Building, Dopesick, The Dropout and The Kardashians. She and Peter have worked closely together for years to create the best programming in the industry, and I can think of no one better than Dana to lead Disney General Entertainment to even greater heights.”  

Like Rice, Walden joined Disney when it acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019. She reports to Chapek.

“It is an incredible honor to be asked to lead this amazingly talented team — they are truly the absolute best in every respect — and I am grateful to Bob for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Walden said. “Disney General Entertainment’s culture of creative excellence and originality has made us home to many of the most talented creators in the business. I am humbled to lead this team, and I am confident that together, we will continue to build on the foundation of culture-defining entertainment we have achieved so far.” ■

Rice, who joined The Walt Disney Co. when 21st Century Fox was acquired last year, is king of the Magic Kingdom when it comes to television content. He is responsible for the mine that produces more than 4,500 hours of TV programming a month. He’s also responsible for sorting which shows go to which outlet, a new Mandalorian for high-profile streaming service Disney Plus, another “Bachelor” for ABC to broadcast or a Fargo for FX and Duck Tails for Disney Channel on cable, and even election coverage on ABC News.

Disney has pivoted to streaming, which has changed everything from the way its business is structured to the way it measures results. In October, Disney CEO Bob Chapek separated the people who create content from those concerned with profit and loss, distribution, advertising and technology, including managing Disney’s streaming services and domestic TV networks.

Rice explained the new mandate in a Nov. 10 memo to his staff: “For our team, this means we will wholly focus our resources and efforts on developing, producing and marketing exceptional content to fuel the company’s streaming and linear platforms while our colleagues at Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution will distribute and monetize that content and run the linear networks and streaming platforms.”

Most of Rice’s group had been focused on linear TV networks. “As we look to the future and how consumers choose to watch their programming, this reorganization is an opportunity for us to fully focus on what we do best, making great programming for viewers wherever they choose to watch their favorite shows,” he said in the memo.

Making better television — and lots of it — might be Disney’s key advantage as it challenges Netflix for streaming superiority. The new structure should let him stick to storytelling in a business where successful creative executives tend to get bigger and bigger loads of business and administrative duties heaped on them.

“He was already functioning as head of the television studio and spent about 75% of his time on development, talent and scaling production,” an exec familiar with the situation said. “I think he’s really happy with this.”

21st Century Fox said it has promoted Peter Rice to president of the media company.

Rice will continue to serve as chairman and CEO of the Fox Networks Group, which means he oversees Fox Broadcasting, Fox Sports, FX Networks National Geographic, 20th Century Fox Television and the Fox Networks Groups in Latin America, Europe and Asia.

The move makes Rice the most senior executive outside of the Murdoch family since Chase Carey.

“As part of our ongoing work to evolve and expand the 21CF leadership structure, we’re pleased to name Peter to this newly created position, CEO James Murdoch and executive chairman Lachlan Murdoch said in a statement.

“Peter has driven exceptional growth at Fox Networks Group during a time of real transformational change in the business, expanding our audiences and innovating new distribution models, from which the Company, our shareholders and our customers have benefited greatly. Peter’s impact on the business is immense and we are incredibly fortunate to have him with us in this expanded role during this exciting next chapter of the Company,” the Murdochs said.

Stacey Snider, chair and CEO of 20th Century Fox Film, will continue to report directly to Lachlan and James Murdoch. Fox News Channel will continue to report directly to Rupert Murdoch, Executive Chairman of 21st Century Fox, and Executive Chairman of Fox News Channel.

Related: Fox News Continues to Dominate Cable Ratings Charts

Before being named as head of Fox Networks Group, Rice was chairman entertainment for Fox Network Group. Prior to that he was president of Fox Searchlight Pictures and executive VP production for Twentieth Century Fox.

Fox Networks Group said it has named executive vice president of business operations and development Ravi Ahuja as chief financial officer, replacing retiring CFO Del Mayberry who is leaving the company after three decades.

“Del has played an integral role in driving the success of Fox Networks Group and has contributed to the incredible growth of FNG’s television brands at a time of exponential global expansion. We thank Del for his many lasting contributions to the company and will miss him greatly,” said Fox Networks Group chairman and CEO Peter Rice in a statement.

Mayberry joined Fox in 1983 and was named senior vice president and CFO for Fox Broadcasting Company in 1998.   He was promoted to EVP and CFO for the Fox Networks Group in 2002.

 “We are deeply grateful for Del’s advice and counsel over his long tenure at Fox and wish him every success in the future,” FNG chief operating officer Randy Freer said in a statement. “Del leaves very big shoes to fill but Ravi is ideally suited to his new role. He has done an exceptional job running our business development and has a proven track record in financial management and corporate strategy that perfectly fits the needs of our television portfolio at a time of seismic change for our industry.”

As CFO, Ahuja will have direct management of finance and accounting and will continue to oversee business development for all FNG business units: Fox Broadcasting Company; Fox Cable Networks, including FX Networks; Fox Sports Media Group, and National Geographic Partners; and Fox Networks Group Europe, Asia and Latin America. He will report to Rice and Freer and work closely with 21st Century Fox CFO John Nallen.

"During a time of real transformation in the television business, Ravi has demonstrated extraordinary strategic insight on the many opportunities we have explored,” Rice continued in his statement. “He has shepherded much of our successful M&A activity, especially in the non-linear space, and he is an ideal fit for this position.”

Some of those deals included the  formation of National Geographic Partners, the YES Network and Sports Time Ohio RSN transactions and the planning and formulation of Fox Networks’ new channel strategy. Ahuja’s group is also active in new technology initiatives including Hulu and other streaming services.

Prior to Fox, Ahuja was CFO of  Virgin Entertainment Group and previously was an associate at McKinsey & Company in New York and Los Angeles. He is currently on the boards of Roku and YES Network and has also served on the LA Mayor’s Council on Innovation and Industry.

21st Century Fox is seeking to cut $250 million in expenses this year and is looking to employees for voluntary buyouts and greater cost efficiencies.

In a memo to employees Monday, Fox Networks Group CEO Peter Rice said the company needs to "adjust, adapt, and organize for the future," adding that the company will be "undertaking some structural changes, increasing investment in some parts of the company while making cost reductions in other areas."

In the past 18 months Fox has reorganized Fox Sports; expanded FX Networks and combined its ad sales teams;  created National Geographic Partners; and, most recently, restructuring its international channels.

"As the next step in this reorganization, colleagues who fit a specific set of criteria will be offered a generous benefit package if they decide to voluntarily resign from the company, effective May 23, 2016," Rice wrote in the memo. "Colleagues who are eligible for this offer will receive a confidential email in the next few hours with specific terms and benefits. Again, the program is completely voluntary."

Just how many employees will be affected remains to be seen but reports suggest that the reductions are not expected to be heavy. Other programmers have weathered staff reductions to cut costs in the wake of ad revenue declines and ratings pressures, including Viacom and Time Warner's Turner Networks.