Stephanie Azam Exits Disney+ Canada as Head of Content
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Stephanie Azam has left Disney+ Canada as head of content after nearly one year in the post.
A Disney spokesperson confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter the exit as part of a companywide reorganization at The Walt Disney Co. Toronto-based Azam oversaw content planning, acquisitions and licensing at Disney+ Canada, which is part of the Disney ABC Television Group.
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Before joining the flagship Disney streamer in Aug. 2022, Azam was vp of development acquisitions at indie producer Sphere Films, and earlier held the position of national director, feature film at Telefilm Canada, where she was responsible for financing the production, development, and marketing of English language indie films.
Walt Disney unveiled plans to cut around 7,000 jobs to impact every corner of the company this year.
Azam’s departure also comes amid Disney+ Canada and other U.S. streamers active in the Canadian market pausing or reassessing their investments in local film and TV content after the Canadian government passed into law Bill C-11, which compels Canadian content spending obligations on foreign streamers and social media platforms.
The CRTC, the country’s TV and telecom regulator, is set to regulate U.S. digital giants — and crucially define what does and doesn’t count as Canadian, especially as it applies to user-generated content on YouTube, TikTok and Facebook or as part of a streamer’s local spending obligations.
The CRTC is set to hold hearings to establish the amount of investment expected from the U.S. streamers for local content, and the federal government will hold separate hearings at the same time on bringing clarity to what qualifies Canadian film or TV program, or “Canadian stories,” to modernize the country’s broadcast laws.
That will set new rules for American players as they invest directly in indie Canadian production, a role Disney+ Canada’s Azam was responsible for before her departure. Variety was the first to report on Azam’s exit.
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