There is no handbook for sports media brands and companies when navigating a global pandemic. For that, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro and Disney CEO Bob Chapek are proud of the way they handled the unprecedented challenges that popped up in 2020.
“No one could have anticipated the challenges we faced in 2020,” Pitaro said during ESPN’s annual town hall event, which was held virtually Thursday morning for ESPN employees nationwide. “And it’s times like these where people are often judged. And I promise you that history will show that the people of ESPN delivered . . . and did so with grace and integrity.”
According to ESPNFrontRow.com, Disney CEO Bob Chapek echoed Pitaro’s sentiment, believing ESPN’s parent company “demonstrated unbelievable resourcefulness and creativity.” Chapek highlighted the NBA Bubble as an example, which took a tremendous amount of planning by the league, Disney and ESPN to orchestrate as they crowned a season champion.
While Disney and ESPN both exemplified problem-solving skills throughout the year, they weren’t immune to the negative financial impacts of COVID-19, which led to many employee cuts. The day before Thanksgiving, Disney announced 32,000 workers would be laid off during the first half of 2021.
ESPN similarly had their largest round of layoffs ever late last year, cutting 300 jobs and leaving another 200 open positions unfilled. The cuts eliminated 500 jobs in total from a company that has 4,000 employees working out of Bristol and 6,000 worldwide.
Despite those unfortunate realities, both Pitaro and Chapek are optimistic for the futures of ESPN and Disney.
“Likewise, here at ESPN, and for so many reasons, I feel optimistic about the year ahead,” Pitaro said. “At the same time, I’m also realistic about the business challenges we face. The changes we’ve seen over the last few months have, at times, felt sudden and difficult, but I can assure you this strategic business shift is something we’ve been building towards for years, at Disney and at ESPN.”