The head of Disney’s streaming division, Kevin Mayer, is leaving to lead TikTok, the popular but controversial video-sharing app.
The app’s owner, Chinese ByteDance, settled last year in the United States with market watchdog FTC that prevented further prosecution for unsolicited child data collection.
Mayer will take up his new position in June. “I love TikTok’s mission of bringing joy and inspiration to people around the world,” said TikTok’s new boss.
Thanks to the strong growth in recent years, the app, where users share short videos with, for example, jokes or a dance, is a serious competitor for social media giants such as Facebook.
TikTok, which operates under the name Douyin in its home country of China, now has over a billion users.
For entertainment giant Disney, Mayer’s departure comes at a difficult time. The streaming branch, where, for example, all Star Wars films can be viewed, is one of the few parts that still bring in money.
Amusement parks and the film studio are now facing the consequences of the lockdown. According to Mayer, the streaming division is firmly on its own two feet.
Disney +, as the streaming service is called, has only existed since November last year.