As President of Disney+ and ESPN+, Michael Paull oversees the two streaming businesses globally from Disney’s Media & Entertainment Distribution (DMED) segment. Paull and his team are responsible for marketing, product and technology, data science, and business operations for the streaming services, along with programming and content curation, working closely and collaboratively with the Company’s world-class content engines fueling Disney’s direct-to-consumer ecosystem.
Paull joined The Walt Disney Company in 2017 with the acquisition of Bamtech Media, where he served as CEO. Paull and his team have played a key role in the Company’s pivot into the direct-to-consumer space, launching ESPN+ in 2018, followed by the launch and rapid global expansion of Disney+ in 2019, and the upcoming launch of Star+ in Latin America in June 2021.
Before joining Bamtech, Paull spent five years at Amazon as Vice President, Digital Video, where he ran Amazon Channels worldwide and was responsible for its global content, product, technology, operations, and marketing. During his tenure at Amazon, he also oversaw Prime Video and Amazon’s TVOD business in the U.S., as well as the development of Prime Music.
Paull has more than 20 years of consumer product development, technology, content distribution and acquisition, and media industry experience. Before Amazon, he led Sony Music’s digital business worldwide and held other senior leadership positions with Sony Pictures Entertainment, FOX Entertainment Group, and Time Warner.
Paull received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School, and holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of California.