Disney is laying off just under 200 employees across its television and ABC News divisions, marking the latest round of workforce reductions as the company continues to adjust to the evolving media landscape. The cuts represent approximately 6% of staff across the two business units, according to a source familiar with the matter.
FiveThirtyEight to Shut Down
Among the notable changes is Disney shutting down FiveThirtyEight, the data-driven journalism outlet known for its polling analysis and statistical reporting. Originally launched by Nate Silver, the site gained prominence for its U.S. election coverage and was previously part of ESPN before moving under ABC News.
FiveThirtyEight has been a go-to resource for election data, offering statistical modeling and in-depth polling analysis. With its closure, ABC News will no longer maintain a dedicated data unit for political analysis.
ABC News Undergoes Restructuring
The majority of the layoffs are impacting ABC News, with the reductions stemming from previously announced structural changes within the division.
“Good Morning America” (GMA) has consolidated its teams, with all units—including GMA3 and ABC News’ overnight broadcasts—now reporting to executive Simone Swink.
ABC News Live and several specialist units now fall under the leadership of Seni Tienabeso.
The network has merged long-form programming teams, integrating the staff responsible for “20/20” and “Nightline” into a single unit.
These changes follow an earlier round of layoffs in October when Disney cut 75 employees across ABC News and its local stations.
Disney’s Ongoing Cost-Cutting Efforts
Disney has not made executives available for comment on the latest reductions, which are part of the company’s ongoing cost-cutting strategy. Over the past year, Disney has streamlined operations across its media and entertainment divisions, reflecting the challenges facing traditional television and news organizations in a rapidly shifting industry.
While ABC News continues to be a major player in broadcast journalism, the loss of FiveThirtyEight and additional staff cuts signal a shift in priorities as Disney navigates the changing news and digital media landscape.
Source: Variety
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