LaBerge left Disney after playing a key role in developing the company’s streaming services and integrating advertising into its streaming platform, Disney+. He also led efforts to unify Hulu and Disney+ within one application. During his time at ESPN, he was instrumental in creating ESPN+ and the upcoming flagship sports streaming service set to launch in 2025.
LaBerge’s departure adds to a list of veteran Disney executives who have left the company in recent years, including former CEO Bob Chapek and former head of streaming Kevin Mayer. Despite his departure, LaBerge will continue to work with Disney as he transitions to a role at PENN Entertainment, where he will be a key partner in the growth and success of ESPN BET and their Interactive business.
According to his biography, LaBerge has played a significant role in setting the vision and strategic leadership for how Disney uses technology to enable storytelling, drive its business, and create consumer experiences with entertainment and sports content. A search for LaBerge’s successor is already underway, with Chris Lawson, Disney’s executive vice president of content operations, set to take over LaBerge’s role on an interim basis.
LaBerge first joined Disney in the late 1990s as part of the company’s takeover of Starwave, a company co-founded by Paul Allen that had previously partnered with ESPN before Disney fully acquired it in 1998.
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