Disney Names Exec to Oversee Internet Units

Walt Disney Co. promoted Disney Online President Jake Winebaum to oversee all of its Internet businesses, centralizing control for its online services such as ABCNews.com and ESPN Sportszone. Winebaum, 38, will head a newly created division called Buena Vista Internet Services and will continue to oversee all Disney-branded Internet services, the company said. Winebaum will report to Disney Consumer Products Chairman Barton Boyd. The move will make it easier for Burbank-based Disney to share content, ranging from world events to sports scores, across all its businesses. Winebaum will remain president of Disney Online, which features information about Disney movies, theme parks, products and other information related to the Disney brand. Buena Vista Internet will include Disney’s Daily Blast, an Internet site for children; Family.com, a family site; ESPN Sportszone, a joint venture with Starwave Corp. of Bellevue, Wash.; and ABCNews.com, featuring news from its ABC Inc. unit.