Disney’s Maker cuts 80 jobs

Disgraced YouTube star PewDiePie had been closely associated with Maker

Disney is restructuring operations at Maker Studios in a move that will slash its workforce and cut back on the number of creators it supports.

The Mouse House, which bought Maker in 2014, is cutting around 80 staff from its digital team including employees from the YouTube channels business.

Maker will also decrease the number of contributors it supports from around 60,000 to 1,000, according to US reports, opting to focus on its most popular creators and those more aligned with Disney’s interests.

The staff cuts come after Disney moved Maker into its consumer product and interactive media division last year. In July Maker revealed it was laying off around 30 employees as part of what it described as “strategic adjustments.”

Disney bought Maker for an initial US$500m. The final payout for the firm could have been up to US$950m but it failed to reach that figure and eventually cost US$675m.

Several execs have departed Marker since its acquisition, including former CEO Ynon Kreiz, who was replaced by Courtney Holt.

Earlier this month Disney and YouTube cut ties with Felix Kjellberg (aka PewDiePie), the world’s highest-paid YouTube star, following accusations that he spread anti-Semitic messages in his videos.

PewDiePie had been closely associated with Maker, drawing several billion views to his channel every month, although the wider restructuring is not thought to be connected to the end of the deal with the YouTube creator.