A Disney+ Shake-Up Has Streaming Fans Talking: President Alisa Bowen Departs to Run Fubo

Alisa Bowen, the executive who has run Disney+ as its president since 2022, is leaving to become CEO of Fubo, the sports streamer Disney now controls after merging it with Hulu + Live TV. Bowen replaces Fubo co-founder David Gandler, who is stepping down after 11 years, and the move puts a Disney streaming veteran atop the live TV business while leaving an open seat at Disney+.

The executive running Disney+ is leaving the service, and where she landed explains a lot about Disney's streaming chessboard. Alisa Bowen has been named CEO of Fubo, the sports-first streamer that recently combined its video business with Disney's Hulu + Live TV, replacing co-founder David Gandler at the top. The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news, and it quickly spread across the Disney fan press, because a leadership change at Disney+ touches every subscriber.

What happened

Bowen takes over as Fubo CEO from Gandler, who co-founded the company and led it for 11 years. The move follows the completion of the deal combining Fubo's video service with Hulu + Live TV, the merger that made Fubo a Disney-affiliated company with Disney holding the controlling stake. Bowen is also expected to join Fubo's board of directors, pending approval at the company's annual shareholder meeting on July 28, 2026. Gandler has resigned from the board and will not stand for re-election.

Who Alisa Bowen is

Bowen spent a decade in Disney's executive ranks and became president of Disney+ in 2022, overseeing the service through some of its most consequential years: the ad-supported tier, price restructuring, and the folding of Hulu content into the Disney+ app. She also helped build out Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ more broadly, and before Disney held executive roles at News Corp, Dow Jones, and Thomson Reuters.

"I am excited to lead Fubo in its next phase as we sharpen its strategy across sports, news and entertainment, accelerate growth and drive profitability, while delivering even greater value to Fubo and Hulu + Live subscribers, our advertisers and our content partners," Bowen said in a statement. "I look forward to working closely alongside this talented leadership team to strengthen Fubo as an industry leader and create significant value for all of our shareholders."

The end of the Gandler era at Fubo

Gandler built Fubo from a niche soccer-streaming startup into one of the larger virtual pay TV providers in the United States before selling control to Disney. "We have built a dynamic streaming platform centered around innovative multichannel video programming distribution into one of the largest pay TV providers in the United States," he said in his departure statement. "Today, Fubo has best-in-class programming partnerships, innovative service offerings and preeminent live sports and entertainment content and is well positioned for the future. I look forward to following the company's continued growth and success in the months and years ahead."

What this means for fans

For Disney+ subscribers, the immediate service does not change, but the succession question matters: the next Disney+ president inherits the bundle strategy, the ESPN direct-to-consumer tie-ins, and whatever comes next on pricing. For cord-cutters, the more interesting signal is that Disney is installing one of its own streaming architects atop Fubo and Hulu + Live TV, a strong hint that the combined live TV business is central to Disney's plans rather than a side bet. Watch for Disney to name Bowen's successor at Disney+ in the coming weeks, and for Fubo's July 28 shareholder meeting to formalize her board seat.