Walt Disney Co.’s ABC Television Group plans to make substantial jobs cuts, including at the broadcast network’s Burbank headquarters, in an effort to reduce costs at a time when traditional TV networks face huge challenges. ABC finished the most recent television season in third place in viewers, behind CBS and NBC. Disney’s television operations have been reeling from dramatic changes in consumer behavior. ESPN went through a major round of layoffs in its 2016 budget, cutting 350 employees, or 4% of its workforce. The Disney/ABC Television Group, which includes the ABC broadcast network, the Disney Channel, Freeform channel and television stations, employs about 9,000 people.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 31, 2017 00:51 UTC