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Tag: Luke Kang

  • Disney hires Netflix executive to turbocharge Asia streaming push

    Disney hires Netflix executive to turbocharge Asia streaming push

    MUMBAI: His is a familiar face to Indian music and streaming industry professionals. We are talking about Tony Zameczkowski who used to jet his way to India often first as the executive in charge of YouTube’s music vertical and then as Netflix vice-president and co-head Asia Pacific. 

    Now Zameczkowski  has hopped aboard Disney to spearhead its streaming ambitions across Asia-Pacific, as the entertainment giant seeks to capitalise on the region’s enormous growth potential. His designation: senior vice-president and general manager for direct-to-consumer operations across the region. The appointment signals Disney’s determination to accelerate Disney+ growth in markets where streaming adoption continues to surge.

    Reporting to APAC president Luke Kang and Disney Entertainment’s direct-to-consumer president Joe Earley, Zameczkowski will oversee the expansion of Disney+ across a region that company executives describe as brimming with “immense growth opportunities.”

    His arrival comes as Disney+ builds momentum following ESPN’s successful launch in Australia and New Zealand, alongside a growing slate of local originals from Korea, Japan and Australia. The second series of Japanese live-action thriller Gannibal became the platform’s most-viewed premiere in the second quarter and its fastest title to reach one million streaming hours.

    The streaming wars in Asia-Pacific show no signs of cooling, with local players and global giants alike vying for market share in countries where mobile-first consumption and rising disposable incomes are reshaping entertainment habits.

    Zameczkowski, who previously held roles at Victorious and Warner Bros International Television before his Netflix and YouTube stint, says he has “always admired Disney’s unmatched leadership in the entertainment space and its ability to remain modern and relevant to consumers.”

    New APAC originals including Tempest, Disney Twisted Wonderland: The Animation” and Cat’s Eye are set to debut on Disney+ in coming months as the company doubles down on local content production—a strategy that has proven crucial for streaming success across diverse Asian markets.

  • Disney’s APAC head Luke Kang bats for regional content to push growth

    Disney’s APAC head Luke Kang bats for regional content to push growth

    Mumbai: The focus areas of the company in the APAC market have not changed much in the last one year, said Luke Kang, who was appointed as The Walt Disney Company, president – APAC, excluding India in 2020. Under his leadership, the APAC business has undergone restructuring with the appointment of a D2C head, spun off a division in Indonesia to grow the market and maximise the regional scale and in-market expertise in markets like Japan and China.

    Kang virtually addressed the APOS summit on media, telecoms, and entertainment industry in APAC organised by Media Partners Asia on Tuesday.

    The APAC market is critical to grow Disney+ 116 million SVOD subscribers globally, said Kang. The streaming platform has had a soft launch in Japan and will soon launch in South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. “The APAC market will contribute a sizeable share to the global subscriber base” he added.

    Even though most of their content is produced in the US, the audiences in the APAC market including Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore have embraced Disney+, noted Kang. “These markets have a strong affinity for global and regional content”, he said.

    “We’re not going to dabble in local content, but be a major player”, he emphasised when talking about the importance of producing content in local markets and supporting the creative economy in these markets. Kang said that first it would be important to understand the nuances about the customers in these markets. For example, he observed that consumers in Indonesia prefer to consume Korean or Japanese content. Those kinds of insights would enable Disney+ to make relevant investments to grow their subscriber share in local markets.

    “We are thinking differently, than we used to pre-D2C. We get a lot more data in real-time. We are learning that we need to be very broad,” said Kang, “We will be doing a lot of local and regional content across multiple markets, to make our service better, more exciting, more localised.”

    Speaking about the importance of SVOD business, he said, “SVOD is what you would call the ultimate scalable business. It is the one business in our portfolio where scale really matters. This technology allows us to bring the benefits of our global scale to consumers, especially, to consumers in APAC. Earlier, in the media industry, the content scale was global but it was difficult to scale distribution globally because you had a lot of walled garden ecosystems.”

    Earlier this year, Disney has decided to shut 18 TV channels in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong effective from 1 October. The reports indicated that the channels were closed as part of the media company’s focus on increasing its focus on the D2C business.

    Speaking about the move, Kang stated, “There’s a role for all media in the lives of consumers, although it changes over time. We’ve had to make tough decisions across the region when it comes to television. We’re making these decisions based on consumer demand, based on where the consumers are going. Consumers are telling us they want to engage with us on digital.”

  • The Walt Disney Company to have separate heads for APAC & India

    The Walt Disney Company to have separate heads for APAC & India

    NEW DELHI: The Walt Disney Company has announced that it will have two separate leaders for APAC and India. The development comes weeks after Star & Disney India chairman and president – APAC Uday Shankar’s decision to step down.

    In an internal memo to the organisation, The Walt Disney Company chairman international operations and direct-to-consumer Rebecca Campbell mentioned that a leader for India business will be announced in early 2021. In the interim period Star & Disney India head K Madhavan and Disney+ Hotstar head Sunil Ryan will report to her directly.

    She further announced that Luke Kang will be the new president of The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific. He will oversee the company’s business in Australia/New Zealand, Greater China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia.

    Kang will report into Campbell.

    For the record, Uday Shankar resigned in October and will exit the organisation at the end of December. He is moving on to pursue an entrepreneurial career wherein he would support and mentor India’s young minds to create transformational solutions with funding from global investors.

  • Mahesh Samat gets expanded role in Disney Asia restructure

    Mahesh Samat gets expanded role in Disney Asia restructure

    MUMBAI: A lot is happening at Disney.

    Walt Disney International (WDI), a part of The Walt Disney Company, responsible for managing the company’s businesses outside of the US excluding Theme Parks and ESPN businesses) today announced a new Asia management structure that will see the creation of the North Asia and South Asia regional hubs. 

    The latter merges India with the company’s integrated south east Asian regional markets of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam under the leadership of Walt Disney International, South Asia, senior vice-president & managing director Mahesh Samat.

    North Asia will merge Japan, South Korea and Greater China under the leadership of  Walt Disney International, North Asia, executie vice-president & managing director Luke Kang.

    “Our international leadership teams are tasked to increase Disney brand affinity and awareness in key markets around the world,” said  WDI chairman Andy Bird . “Luke and Mahesh have an acute understanding of our brands and franchises and long-standing expertise in our broader operations. This, combined with their understanding of the uniqueness of their markets, and intense entrepreneurial spirit, will continue the momentum we are experiencing in these dynamic regions.” . 

    “This new structure aligns and maximizes efficiencies around regions with similar opportunities and creates the momentum to accelerate growth for the Company in these markets,” he added.

    With operations in 45 countries throughout the world, WDI has implemented integrated structures in international markets that have greatly accelerated revenue in China, produced growth across Japan and Europe and provided unparalleled access to emerging markets throughout Latin America and South East Asia.

    Samat returned to lead The Walt Disney Company India in November 2016, a position he previously held from 2008-2012. Since returning to the role, he has implemented vast organizational changes, creating a clear strategy for the Company and its brands in the Indian entertainment market.  Samat also has more than twenty-five years of experience in FMCG and Healthcare across India, Asia-Pacific and Europe.

    “The South East Asian region is characterized by its dynamic growth and extreme diversity. I am pleased to have the opportunity to lead both teams to create new, innovative ways for audiences to engage with our stories, brands and characters, and drive growth across our businesses,”  said  Samat.

    In his current capacity as The Walt Disney Company Greater China of managing director, Kang has led the organization (excluding Disney’s Parks and Resorts division) to achieve consistent record growth across all business segments. In 2016, Disney was the number one foreign studio at the Chinese box office, and the organization also successfully expanded its reach into new cities and to new consumer groups across China. Throughout his career,  Kang held various management roles across the region.

    “It is an honor to lead Walt Disney International in North Asia, which includes two of the biggest and most dynamic economies in the world.  The region’s ever-changing media and entertainment landscape as well as dynamic consumer products market provides incredible opportunity to continue to forge connections with our brands and franchises to drive growth,” said  Kang.

    Both positions report directly to Bird.