Disney hires Apple vet to build streaming service

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Photo: Tom Bricker
Disney is planning to take on Netflix.
Photo: Photo: Tom Bricker

Disney is bringing in an Apple veteran to help build its streaming service that will ultimately take on Netflix and maybe even Apple.

Kevin Swint, a former Apple employee that was in charge of the company’s worldwide iTunes movie business, was recently hired by Disney to help the company embrace streaming.

Disney announced last year that it wouldn’t renew its movie rights license with Netflix. The company to create its own streaming platform that gives subscribers access to the Disney vault, but it won’t launch until next year.

Swint’s new title at Disney is SVP and GM of SVOD Service, according to a report from Variety. Before joining Disney, Swint worked at Samsung building the company’s Milk Music and Milk Video streaming services.

Streaming solutions provider BAMTech was purchased by Disney last year for $1.58 billion as part of its plan to create its own service. A standalone ESPN streaming service is slated to launch in 2018 ahead of the Disney video service. The new platform will also be benefited by content acquired by Disney’s purchase of Fox.

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