Principal Product Manager, Sports Video Playback Experience

On any given day at Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology, we're reimagining ways to create magical viewing experiences for the world's most beloved stories while also transforming Disney's media business for the future. Whether that's evolving our streaming and digital products in new and immersive ways, powering worldwide advertising and distribution to maximize flexibility and efficiency, or delivering Disney's unmatched entertainment and sports content, every day is a moment to make a difference to partners and to hundreds of millions of people around the world.
A few reasons why we think you'd love working for Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology

• Building the future of Disney's media business: DE&E Technologists are designing and building the infrastructure that will power Disney's media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come.
• Reach & Scale: The products and platforms this group builds and operates delight millions of consumers every minute of every day - from Disney+ and Hulu, to ABC News and Entertainment, to ESPN and ESPN+, and much more.
• Innovation: We develop and execute groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms and enhance how audiences experience sports, entertainment & news.

This position is part of the ESPN Sports Product team. At ESPN, our mission is To Serve Sports Fans. Anytime. Anywhere. The mission statement is not just words, it is the mantra that we live by. The ESPN Sports Product Team is responsible for executing that mission and delivering content, utility, and gaming experiences to our fans. Anytime. Anywhere. With unmatched scale, best-in-class content, incredible rights, and world class platforms, ESPN is the market leader in Sports, and we are constantly innovating for our fans.
Job Summary
As the Principal Product Manager, Sports Video Playback Experience at ESPN, you will be a key leader in shaping and enhancing the overarching Sports video playback experience & strategy across our suite of apps, including ESPN, Hulu, and Star+. Leveraging your deep understanding of video technology and product management expertise, you will drive the development and execution of innovative advancements and unified experiences across our industry leading streaming properties.
This role will help deliver a unified Sports viewing experience across the Disney Streaming apps, ensuring ESPN remains at the forefront of delivering exceptional video experiences to sports fans worldwide. This role demands a strong technical background, strategic thinking, the ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality, cutting-edge solutions, and, preferably, a passion for and working knowledge of sports.
This role offers the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the video playback landscape for Disney, and we are excited to welcome a seasoned professional who can drive continuous innovation and excellence.
Responsibilities

• Develop and own the video playback strategy for DE&ET apps, aligning with overall product and business goals.
• Stay abreast of industry trends and emerging technologies related to video playback, providing recommendations for continuous improvement.
• Lead the end-to-end product development lifecycle, from ideation to launch, ensuring a seamless and engaging video playback experience.
• Collaborate with engineering, design, and content teams to define requirements, prioritize features, and drive development sprints.
• Possess a deep technical understanding of video playback technologies, codecs, streaming protocols, and adaptive bitrate streaming.
• Work closely with engineering teams to address technical challenges and provide guidance on implementing best practices.
• Conduct user research and analysis to identify opportunities for enhancing video playback features, ensuring a user-friendly and intuitive experience.
• Define and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) related to video playback quality and user satisfaction.
• Collaborate with marketing, content, and business development teams to align product strategies with overall business objectives.
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders, ensuring a shared understanding of product priorities and roadmaps.

Basic Qualifications

• Minimum of10 years of product management or relevant experience required.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field required.
• Proven experience as a Product Manager with a focus on video playback in a digital media or streaming environment.
• Strong technical background with expertise in video streaming technologies.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to use data-driven insights to inform product decisions, measure performance, and optimize the user experience.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Proven ability to drive product initiatives from concept to delivery.
• Experience with various analytics tools related to media playback (e.g. Conviva, Adobe, etc)

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in a relevant field such as Computer Science, Engineering, or Business preferred.
• In-depth knowledge of the sports media industry, including an understanding of user behaviors and expectations related to video consumption in sports content.
• Passion for and working knowledge of sports strongly preferred.

The hiring range for this position in Santa Monica, CA and Bristol, CT is $180,646 to $242, 330 per year, in San Francisco is $197,866 to $265,430 and in NYC and Seattle is $ 189,256 to $ 253,880 per year based on a 40 hour work week. The amount of hours scheduled per week may vary based on business needs. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.