Janice Marinelli is stepping down as president of global content sales and distribution for Disney’s direct-to-consumer and international (DTCI) segment. There are currently no details on Marinelli’s future plans or on who will take over her role, though she will officially step down at the end of this month and is helping with transition plans.

Marinelli spent 34 years with The Walt Disney Company, and said in a statement that she wanted to see the team through the acquisition and integration of 21st Century Fox before leaving the House of Mouse. In July 2018, Disney and 21st Century Fox shareholders approved Disney’s US$71.3-billion bid to acquire large parts of Rupert Murdoch’s empire, including its movie and TV studios, cable properties, international TV businesses and a 30% stake in streaming service Hulu (the deal officially closed in March 2019).  

Marinelli first joined The Walt Disney Company in 1985 as an account executive with Buena Vista Television, and went on to serve in a number of roles before being appointed as president of Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution in 2013 and promoted to her role with DTCI last year. She was responsible for the company’s program sales operations and for the distribution of direct-to-consumer apps to accounts and broadcasters around the world. She also led global distribution for film and television programming through home entertainment, broadcasting and digital platforms, SVOD, pay networks, Hulu and the upcoming SVOD service Disney+ (scheduled to bow in the US in November).

Her teams distributed properties from the likes of Disney, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox Film to broadcasters, digital services and distributors globally. She oversaw product development and marketing strategies for Disney’s brand portfolio across all in-home platforms, and also managed the re-releases of classic titles from the vault as part of The Walt Disney Signature Collection.

Additionally, Marinelli was the driving force behind the Movies Anywhere app, launching Disney Movies Anywhere in 2014 and inking deals with Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Film, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. to expand the initiative.