TECH

Head of Disney's streaming unit to be president of TikTok

Walt Disney's chief streaming executive, Kevin Mayer, will leave the company and become the executive director of Chinese popular ByteDance video app, TikTok, the companies said on Monday.
Mayer led the successful launch of the Disney + streaming service in November, but in February he was passed over as Disney's chief executive.
TikTok, which allows users to create short videos with special effects, is growing in popularity among teenagers and has become a trendsetter.
But the owner of ByteDance aroused fears in Washington.
In November, the US government launched a national security review of the purchase of the social media app Musical.ly by ByteDance for a billion dollars. Two senators also introduced a bill to ban federal employees from using TikTok on government phones.
To reduce concerns, ByteDance has stepped up efforts to split TikTok from other Chinese companies and has made several high-profile hires in recent months.
Disney appointed Rebecca Campbell, a 23-year veteran of the company, to replace Mayer as head of the direct consumer and international division. This includes the streaming media units that Disney counts on to drive future growth, while cable television audience declines. 

Reporting by Munsif Vengattil, Lisa Richwine and Katie Paul