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Disney hires Bradley-Jones for D2C

The Walt Disney Company has hired Luke Bradley-Jones, former MD of BBC.com and global iPlayer, to run its forthcoming direct-to-consumer (D2C) service in Europe and Africa.

Luke Bradley-Jones

Bradley-Jones will join the Mouse House’s D2C and international unit as senior VP, D2C and general manager, Disney+ Europe and Africa in early 2020.

Based in London, Bradley-Jones will report to both Jan Koeppen, president of television and D2C, Europe and Africa, and Michael Paull, president of Disney streaming services. He will also work with Ricky Strauss, president of content and marketing at Disney+.

Bradley-Jones joins from Sky UK, where he was the chief marketing officer, responsible for brand strategy, product and content marketing and customer engagement across all Sky TV, broadband and mobile products.

In his seven-and-a-half years at Sky, Bradley-Jones oversaw Sky’s on-demand services and led the launches of Sky Store, Sky Go Extra, Sky Box Sets and, most recently, Sky Q.

Before joining Sky in 2011, Bradley-Jones spent five years at the commercial arm of the BBC, joining as head of strategy before rising to MD of BBC.com and global iPlayer, responsible for the corporation’s online, mobile and digital VoD business.

He spent two years in the US where he launched BBC.com and built out a digital VoD business through partnerships with Apple, Netflix, Xbox and Yahoo. Prior to joining BBC Worldwide, now known as BBC Studios, in 2006, Bradley-Jones worked at media consultancy Spectrum Strategy Consultants, now Value Partners.

Launching in the US on November 12, Disney+ will feature ad-free movies and shows from brands including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.

The Mandalorian, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, The World According to Jeff Goldblum and Encore! are among the series that will be exclusive to the platform.

It will also feature 30 seasons of The Simpsons and be the exclusive streaming home for films released by The Walt Disney Studios in 2019 and after. These include Toy Story 4, Frozen 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger last week told investors the firm is currently in discussions about the international roll-out of Disney+, with “multiple international markets” due to receive the service within the next two to three years.

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