Peter Rice will become chairman of Walt Disney Television and co-chair of Disney Media Networks after 21st Century Fox successfully merges with The Walt Disney Company.
Shareholders approved the $71.3 billion merger in July, but the deal still needs to go through a regulatory review in other countries. If approved, Rice, who is currently president of 21st Century Fox and chairman and chief executive officer of Fox Networks Group, will report directly to The Walt Disney Company chairman and chief executive officer Robert A. Iger.
Rice would oversee the ABC Television Network, ABC Studios, the ABC-owned Television Stations Group, Disney Channels, Freeform, Twentieth Century Fox Television, FX Networks and FX Productions, Fox 21 Television Studios, and the National Geographic channels.
“I love making television and have been fortunate to work with incredibly talented executives and storytellers. Disney is the world’s preeminent creative company, and I look forward to working for Bob, and with his exceptional leadership team, to build on that amazing legacy,” Rice said in a statement.
Reporting to Rice will be National Geographic Partners chairman Gary E. Knell, Disney Channels Worldwide president and chief creative officer Gary Marsh, and James Goldston, named president of ABC News.