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MUMBAI:
Responding to the changing realities of the entertainment
landscape and addressing an opportunity to streamline the
creative process, the Disney ABC TV Group in the US has announced
that ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios will be operated as
a coordinated business unit called ABC Entertainment Group.
The
announcement was made by Disney-Media Networks co-chair and
Disney/ABC Television Group president Anne Sweeney. This newly
formed unit will be managed by Stephen McPherson, who had
previously served as ABC Entertainment president.
Former
ABC Studios president Mark Pedowitz, has moved into a new
role as senior advisor to the office of the co-chairman, where
he will work alongside Sweeney on a myriad of evolving business,
labour relations and emerging media issues.
Sweeney
says, "The landscape of our business and an opportunity
to coalesce the creative process dictated this change in structure.
By operating these units in a coordinated fashion, we'll be
able to present the industry with a unified, cohesive creative
vision for ABC programming, which will serve us well as we
move forward."
The
newly formed ABC Entertainment Group will combine ABC Studios
and ABC Entertainment, with all operations of the two separate
units reporting to McPherson. The new division's primary mandate
will be to develop and produce compelling programming for
broadcast on ABC.
However,
when appropriate, the studio will look for outside opportunities.
The successful partnership between ABC Studios and ABC Entertainment
prior to this announcement has delivered shows like Desperate
Housewives, Lost, and Grey's Anatomy.
McPherson
will spend the next few months integrating the units with
input from Pedowitz.
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