The Walt Disney Company has long been synonymous with wholesome, family-friendly entertainment spanning a century of films, television shows, and theme park experiences. However, that reputation may be evolving as Disney+ works to broaden its appeal beyond families with young children. Eric Schrier, President of Disney Television Studios and Global Original Television Strategy, recently discussed the streaming platform's content direction at the Content London summit, revealing how Disney plans to capture older demographics.
Expanding Beyond the Disney Brand's Traditional Audience
When The Walt Disney Company acquired 20th Century Fox, the deal brought properties like The Simpsons and Family Guy into Disney's content library—shows that don't align with the company's traditional wholesome image. This acquisition has influenced Disney's approach to programming for its streaming service.
Schrier acknowledged during his appearance at Content London earlier this month that Disney initially wanted to reshape the public perception of Disney+ as something beyond a children's entertainment hub. However, company leadership recognized the enormous challenge of redefining a brand identity that had been built over 100 years.
Rather than attempting to fundamentally alter how audiences view Disney itself, executives decided to leverage Hulu's established reputation for mature programming. The executive, who brings two decades of experience from FX following Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox, explained the company's strategic pivot.
“Disney is one of the most well-known brands in the world, and so changing and going full on FX-HBO was the instinct,” Schrier said. “And we made some very good shows I'm very proud of. But as we got more mature and we looked at, ‘Okay, what's our next phase? We said, ‘Let's be a little bit more complimentary. Let's be entertaining. We'll still do edgy things.'”
Quality Over Quantity Strategy Takes Hold
Under CEO Bob Iger's leadership, Disney+ has transitioned from producing massive amounts of content to focusing on fewer, higher-quality projects designed to generate maximum return on investment. This shift has already impacted production decisions across Disney's creative divisions. Walt Disney Animation Studios recently announced it would stop developing limited series exclusively for Disney+, including canceling a hand-drawn animated project inspired by The Princess and the Frog (2009).
With Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, and Lucasfilm continuing to produce the family-oriented movies and shows that define Disney's brand identity, Schrier explained that Hulu can serve a different purpose in the company's content ecosystem.
“We've now been able to integrate the Hulu brand as the brand for all of our original content globally,” Schrier continued. “We're not really developing shows for kids and family — that's really done by global brands and IP. So we're really looking to do Hulu Originals across the world and showing people that there's content for adults on Disney+.”
Eric Schrier (President, Disney Television Studios and Global Original Television Strategy) on their current content strategy.
“So we’re really looking to do Hulu Originals across the world and showing people that there’s content for adults on Disney+.”
(https://hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/disney-tv-president-eric-schrier-content-london-rivals-talk-1236440930/)
Eric Schrier (President, Disney Television Studios and Global Original Television Strategy) on their current content strategy.
“So we’re really looking to do Hulu Originals across the world and showing people that there’s content for adults on Disney+.”… pic.twitter.com/dvioJJg7Ds
— Boardwalk Times (@BoardwalkTimes) December 3, 2025
Even as Disney+ pursues profitability through subscription price increases, budget reductions, and advertising-supported tiers, Schrier emphasized that creative risk-taking remains essential to the company's content strategy—particularly when developing programming for mature audiences. The executive stressed his commitment to fostering an environment where creative teams feel empowered to experiment.
“I really try to give my creative leaders room to experiment and take risks, and failure is okay,” he said. “That's going to happen in the creative business, and you need to be able to take risk, and you need to be able to build risk in the system. That model and that philosophy has worked really well and has shown that, actually, from a business standpoint, our return on investment and our failure rate is actually smaller because we're willing to take risks.”
Is this content strategy a good idea? Share your thoughts with Disney Fanatic in the comments!
