Disney is reportedly preparing a major overhaul of its television business in the US that could lead to hundreds of layoffs as the entertainment giant looks to consolidate divisions and put streaming at the centre of its operations.

Senior executives are still working through the details, and the restructuring may not be finalised until later this year, according to The Wall Street Journal. The changes are part of a broader streamlining effort under CEO Josh D’Amaro, who took over the top job in March.

One of the main goals is reportedly to reorganise Disney’s television operation around the needs of streaming audiences rather than the individual brands and divisions created during the traditional linear TV era.

Disney President and Chief Creative Officer Dana Walden said at a Bloomberg conference that the company is bringing previously separate divisions together as a more centralised television business rather than continuing to operate them as individual silos.

Disney Entertainment Television chairman Debra OConnell is leading the restructuring. Her organisation oversees a large collection of studios and brands, including ABC Entertainment, 20th Television, Hulu Originals, Disney Kids & Family, National Geographic Content and Freeform.

Many of those divisions currently have their own executives responsible for developing and producing programming for Disney+, Hulu and Disney’s traditional television channels, as well as third-party platforms. The planned shake-up is expected to affect some executives running those units, while further reductions are reportedly being considered at ABC News.

The TV overhaul comes amid a wider round of cost-cutting across Disney. Layoffs have already affected marketing, Pixar, ABC News and ESPN, while more than 300 employees, primarily in human resources and IT, were laid off earlier this week.

Disney’s legal and global affairs division is also facing cuts. Chief Legal and Global Affairs Officer Horacio Gutierrez reportedly told employees that the roughly 1,000-person organisation would become considerably smaller, pointing to advances in automation as one factor behind the changes.

The restructuring also follows several moves designed to strengthen Disney’s streaming and technology leadership. Last month, former YouTube executive Adam Smith was promoted to chairman of streaming, while Silicon Valley veteran Karandeep Anand was appointed Disney’s chief technology officer.

Disney also introduced a voluntary early-retirement program in August for executives aged over 50 who had worked at the company for at least 10 years. The company reportedly waited to see how many executives accepted the offer before progressing with its television restructuring plans.

Disney is far from alone in cutting costs across its traditional television operations. Hollywood studios have spent years adapting to the shift from highly profitable cable networks towards streaming services, which have generally produced smaller margins.

For Disney, the latest restructuring appears to be another step towards operating its entertainment businesses as a more unified digital organisation rather than a collection of separate television brands. The final shape of those changes, including the number of jobs affected, is still being worked out.