Ben Pyne to Exit Disney Media Distribution

BURBANK: Disney Media Distribution President Ben Pyne is planning to exit his role, after 25 years with the company.

Pyne will stay on in his position through the summer to aid in the transition.

“I am honored to have had such an amazing career at The Walt Disney Company, which has been rich with unique experiences and incredible accomplishments, and prepared me well for my next opportunity,” said Pyne. “It has been a special privilege to help build and grow brands, networks and programming that touch and enrich the lives of viewers all around the world. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to work with fantastic people both at Disney, across the wider industry, as well as around the world, and I would like to thank them all for their passion, commitment and hard work.”

Bruce Rosenblum, the president of business operations at Disney|ABC, to whom Pyne reports, commented: “Ben’s reputation in our industry is second-to-none. What he’s built here at Disney, and what he’s been able to accomplish over the past 25 years, is truly remarkable. While we’ll be sad to see him leave, we’re excited to see what his next chapter holds.”

In his current role, Pyne has chief responsibility for the global distribution and sales of the content produced by The Walt Disney Company. He was promoted to this post in June 2007. He joined the company in 1992, and in that time has bolstered the growth of Disney Channel, played a leading role in the negotiations of key deals with major U.S. and global distributors; was a chief architect in the ABC Owned Station retransmission consent strategy and the network’s “clearinghouse” initiative; and has been instrumental in securing unique VOD and SVOD deals.

Pyne sits on Hulu’s board of directors as a representative of The Walt Disney Company.