Craig Erwich

Craig Erwich is president of Disney Television Group inclusive of content strategy across ABC Entertainment, Disney Branded Television, Freeform and Hulu Originals programming.

Erwich has been at the helm of Hulu Originals, leading development and strategy for Hulu’s original series since April 2014. He has overseen the diverse slate of Hulu’s premium content including the Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winning “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the first-ever series on a streaming service to take home both awards in the drama series category; “Only Murders in the Building,” which has earned 49 total Emmy nominations with seven wins and remains Hulu’s most-watched comedy series; “The Kardashians,” the most-watched premiere in Hulu history and the most-watched unscripted series; and “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.”

For the past five consecutive seasons, ABC Entertainment has ranked No. 1 in entertainment among Adults 18-49, fueled by breakout hits like Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning comedy “Abbott Elementary.” ABC is also home to television’s longest-running primetime medical drama, “Grey’s Anatomy” and this season’s breakout hit, “High Potential,” the network’s No. 1 drama, along with “The Bachelor” franchise and “Dancing with the Stars,” its No.1 unscripted series. ABC also owns five of the Top 10 entertainment specials. In total, ABC received 38 Emmy nominations in 2024 and secured the most wins of any broadcast network.

Erwich assumed oversight of linear programming for Disney Branded Television (DBT) and Freeform in 2023, having first added streaming strategy and content oversight for DBT to his purview in 2022. Responsible for some of the most beloved and iconic characters in kids entertainment, Erwich’s expertise in streaming has allowed Disney Branded Television’s content strategy to fuel Disney+ with broad, family-appealing original programming. In 2024, DBT hits ranged from Disney Jr.’s dominant preschool slate, which includes four of the Top 10 most-watched series for preschoolers across linear and streaming – animated series “Bluey,” the most-watched streaming series of the year in the U.S.; “SuperKitties,” 2024’s No. 1 new preschool property; and “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” and “Spidey and his Amazing Friends” – as well as critically acclaimed animated series “Kiff” and “Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur”; the Emmy-winning documentary “Jim Henson Idea Man” and Emmy-winning musical event “Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium”; live-action series “Percy Jackson and The Olympians,” DBT’s top premiere of all time; “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,” which is Disney Channel’s most-watched series premiere ever on Disney+; and “Descendants: The Rise of Red,” which became the most-watched live-action original film on Disney+ since “Hocus Pocus 2.” Disney Jr. was the No.1 cable network for Kids 2-5 for the third year in a row, with the Disney Jr. YouTube channel crossing 20 million subscribers and achieving more than 20 billion views, and Disney Channel was the No.1 cable network for Kids 6-11.

Under Erwich’s leadership, Freeform is the No. 1 primetime cable network in entertainment among Adults 18-34 and Women 18-34, and No. 2 among Adults 18-49 and Women 18-49 in the 2024/2025 TV season to date. The success is fueled by the network’s beloved stunts “31 Nights of Halloween” and “25 Days of Christmas,” the latter of which became the network’s most-watched week of the year in its first eight days. Notably, season 21 of “Project Runway” will be coming to Freeform, Disney+ and Hulu in 2025. The newest iteration will refresh one of television’s most successful reality competition series, making more dreams for aspiring fashion designers come true.

In September 2022, in addition to Disney Branded Television streaming content strategy, Erwich assumed oversight of Walt Disney Television Alternative, the company’s unscripted production unit. To date, WDTA has launched “Claim to Fame,” “Judge Steve Harvey” and “The Final Straw” for ABC, as well as the animated and live-action blended special, “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.”

Erwich previously served as the EVP of Warner Horizon Television (WHTV), a division of Warner Bros. Television Group, where he oversaw development, production and business operations. Before joining WHTV, he served as EVP of Programming at FOX Broadcasting Company for 12 years where he was instrumental in the development of hit series such as “24,” “House,” “Prison Break” and “The O.C.”