(Reuters) - Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) Co has hired the head of Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) Inc's original film division, Matt Brodlie, for its streaming service Disney+, according to a report by Deadline on Tuesday.
Brodlie will join Disney+ as senior vice president of international content development, the report https://deadline.com/2019/06/disney-netflix-matt-brodlie-streaming-disney-1202631723 said.
For years, Netflix has been luring away high-profile executives from rivals and was earlier sued by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp for poaching employees.
Walt Disney and Netflix did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Netflix has been spending billions of dollars on original content to attract new customers, while Disney and Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) build streaming rivals and Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) makes inroads.
Disney launched the ad-free monthly subscription streaming service in April and priced it at $7 monthly or $70 annually with a slate of new and classic TV shows and movies from some of the most popular entertainment franchises to challenge the digital dominance of Netflix.
Disney+ is set to launch on Nov. 12.