(CNBC Screenshot). By Thanksgiving it was time to let go of hundreds more staffers, including HLN's Robin Meade. Discovery David Zaslav is already making some devastatingly evil creative decisions around the company's films, TV shows, and streaming service HBO Max. He's also aiming to take the commentary out of news reporting, drawing criticism from some quarters and also losing political reporter John Harwood. "It was a business . "I, and we as a company, we are a fighter for news. Zaslav counts among his friends, Oprah Winfrey, Lloyd Blankfein (Goldman Sachs CEO) and Colin Powel (former Secretary of State). SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, Less Than Half of U.S. Discovery+ Subscribers Are Also HBO Max Customers, David Zaslav Says, Discoverys David Zaslav Wants Industry to Leave Nielsen in the Dust. Zaslav helped NBCs cable division expand and grow. Fred Dressler Leadership Award is given by Syracuse Unversitys S.I. Many of the corporate and business leaders Zaslav has assembled are Discovery execs he's worked with closely for years and who were given bigger roles after the merger. She joined Discovery in 2018 with the acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive and was responsible for launching long-running series such as "Fixer Upper" and "Flip or Flop" as well as "The Property Brothers. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said Friday on CNBC that he had nothing to do with Jeff Zuckers CNN exit. Warner Bros. He enjoyed sports and loved to play tennis as a child. One of Zeiler's direct reports, Andrew Giorgiou, just signed up the company to a continued long-term relationship with the Olympic Games in Europe, where WBD will be the exclusive streaming and pay-TV provider through 2032. After his Freshman year, he transferred to Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York. Transparency is what journalists and journalism have long been about. Something we can likely all agree on is that trust in media is at an all-time low and Americans want reliable, nonpartisan news. In the US alone, the company has long-term broadcast rights to the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, and NCAA Basketball. So far they've navigated a controversial entrance, having axed Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman 3" as they reconfigure the DC slate for the next few years. At WBD, their mandate is to expand the film output and restore the company's credibility with top (expensive) talent, a tall order given the company's mission to cut billions in costs. Anyone who doesnt fall in line could be ousted, according to the report. (HBOMax pricing just rose a dollar to $15.99.) And clarity, I think it's really hard to lead your teams in the right direction by evading or sugar-coating to keep people's feelings in check. Frederick Smith, who runs the billion dollar Sinclair media empire that once offered to do anything for Trump, must not have meant with cash, donating $6,800 to the GOP and $5,800 to Democratic Sen. ChuckSchumer. ("Who's Talking to Chris Wallace" airs on both networks.). Market data provided by Factset. Marc Benioff, the current owner of Time who's, active in homelessness issues in San Francisco,gave only $5,000 to his Salesforce.com PAC. With sports considered core to Zaslav's strategy, Silberwasser is also charged with maximizing WBD's sports viewership across its linear and streaming properties. Along with that, he is also a successful husband. Here are 5 Best Universities To Choose, Inclusion and Diversity at CEOWORLD magazine. We've received your submission. Stelters show, which focuses on big media stories and how the press covers the news, also marked its lowest second quarter since 2019, with an average of 679,000 viewers and 111,000 average demo viewers. The Latino is one of few people of color on Zaslav's leadership team and said to be a big proponent of DEI initiatives. Discovery (DISCA), despite the. DISCA runs 13 cable stations in the United States including Animal Planet and TLC. Senator from Idaho Jim Risch, amounted to a total of $5,600. David is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Discovery Inc. He is now looking at a move to ape the huge audiences that Larry King Liveonce commanded and has considered drafting a comedian for primetime, a move that could end up a huge success or another punchline. While AT&T executives mostly . His older brother graduated from Binghamton and went on to Medical School. . Licht drew criticism on two counts he located his office away from the newsroom and had denied layoffs were on the cards. Zaslav was speaking at the Paley International Council Summit when he . Since the merger early last year, shareholders have been on the losing end of the bet, though the hope is that conditions will improve and as Wiedenfels said this month at a Citi investor conference 2023 is a rebuilding year. david zaslav political affiliation. Discovery merger, CEO David Zaslav faces massive challenges as he tries to pump out cash to pay down debt while slashing billions in costs. Moreover, he also established a partnership with the World Wild Life Fund for Project C.A.T. These 20 execs, listed alphabetically, are the power players Zaslav has put in place to help him get there. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Last week,Discovery reportedit had reached 20 million paying streaming subscribers worldwide by the end of September. David Zaslav in the conference of Discovery Inc.Source: Google. He negotiated deals with Comcast, Time Warner and Direct TV. At the time, they were competing with Headline News and CNN. Discovery Communications/President & Ceo. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Media mogul William Randolph Hearst famously declared, This is my newspaper, these are my views, take or leave it. Hearst boldly placed his editorials on the front page, with his picture, signed for Gods sake. There was no subterfuge. You Are Here: what happened to calista flockhart zta password zip david zaslav political affiliation Additionally, he receives an annual salary of $150 million for his service. It was counting on advertising to drive some $11 billion in revenue, but knowledgeable sources told Insider that WBD overplayed its hand at the 2022 TV upfronts. He was excited by entertainment law at Boston University, 4. Journalism first. John Hendricks had the idea to create a cable station based on education and not just entertainment. ", Zaslavs comments contradict a Deadline report that Malone "made it known that corporate procedures had to be followed to the letter in regards to Zucker," therefore, "being that WarnerMedias standards of business conduct require disclosure of relationships that develop with a boss and subordinate, Zuckers goose was officially cooked.". Even his wife, Clare Boothe Luce, herself a Republican member of Congress, chastised him publicly for his relentless coverage in Time of Barry Goldwaters GOP nomination for president. David Zaslav's Rocky Ride as Hollywood's Newest Czar In the chaotic aftermath of a $40 billion merger, Warner Bros. Discovery's new leader slashed hundreds of jobs and canceled anticipated. Discovery WBD +1.1% CEO David Zaslav says he wasn't sending a message with his decision to quickly kill off CNN's short-lived streaming channel, CNN+. david zaslav is president and chief executive officer of warner bros. discovery, one of the world's largest and most diverse media and entertainment companies with market leadership across all programming genres, including premium scripted television and movies, non-fiction series, international, animation, global sports and news. Silberwasser goes back a long way with Zaslav, to whom he reports, having been at Discovery for 16 years in a number of leadership roles, most recently building its international business. Sadiq will also face the challenge of overseeing the company's famed writers and directors workshops, revered industry training programs that were initially scrapped and then revived following public outcry. "Well have to see, really.". He is the middle child with two brothers. Zaslavs negotiating expertise and vision of the future of cable television helped forge his career in the broadcast industry. David Zaslav's income source is mostly from being a successful President. I think Chris is doing a great job pivoting CNN, Zaslav told Variety. Within a year, DISCA went public on the NASDAQ stock market and the stock rose 300% in value and expanded internationally. Zaslav got a bit of a break when his firm sent him to work as counsel at the Discovery Channel. Discovery execs he's worked with closely for years, 14% of the staff, or 70 people, getting the ax, base salary bump to $2.5 million per year. In the second quarter of the year, CNN primetime reeled in an average of 670,000 total viewers and 155,000 in the demo. In total, 338 CEOs contributed more than $24 million to midterm election efforts. He and his graduate friends would sometimes sneak into Red Sox games at Fenway Park during the seventh inning. CNBC then cut away from Zaslav for breaking news on the January jobs report but came back to the Discovery honcho afterwards. Same goes for Jason Kilars future, we presume. Shortly after, longtime boss Zucker resigned after he didnt disclose a romantic relationship with another senior executive at the company. Discovery CEO David Zaslav continued to defend the cancellation of multiple HBO Max shows and bigger-budget movies, along with . For context, OpenSecrets reported that political spending in the 2020 election reached $14 billion, the most expensive election ever. 10573. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Judith McHale was the attorney working with Discoverys John Hendricks to raise money to get the cable channel growing. Unlike WarnerMedia's last CEO, new chief David Zaslav is embracing movie theaters and traditional cable . During that time, they travelled the country making deals and getting money to increase the channels presence. What happens to CNN's streaming presence is something in the distant future for now. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. David Michael Zaslav (born January 15, 1960) is an American media executive who currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer and President of Warner Bros. David Zaslav renewed his association with the Discovery Channel (DISCA) through his work with NBCs cable division. Significantly, she recently closed a multiyear deal to keep prolific producer Greg Berlanti at the studio; the mega-creator has over a dozen shows on the air or shooting, according to Deadline, including the aforementioned "You" on Netflix, as well as the CW's "All American" and HBO Max's "The Flight Attendant.". Discovery CEO David Zaslav said CNN is renewing its focus on "journalism" signaling he wants the scandal-scarred, left-leaning network to eventually deliver straight news that. The company did not break out Discovery+ numbers specifically, so this tally includes its other, much smaller SVOD platforms, but the majority of that 20 million figure is made up of Discovery+ numbers, per Discovery. Regarding his love life, Zaslav exchanged rings with Pam Zaslav in 1987. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Two of the newest WBD executives, "Guardians of the Galaxy" filmmaker James Gunn and "Aquaman" producer Peter Safran, were named co-chairmen and joint CEOs of DC Studios last fall, making them responsible for the future of iconic characters including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman across TV, film and animation. David Zaslav, the longtime leader of Discovery, sketched out his vision for the newly formed Warner Bros. david zaslav political affiliation. Can you guess which top CEOs donated more to Democrats than Republicans? Zaslav [] However he does like to take on other topics involving some of his personal interests like automobiles, future technologies, and anything else that could change the world. He also likes to drop quotes from the film "Wolf of Wall Street" into conversations. For . Discovery, he's less and less inclined "to really collapse the entire motion picture business on streaming." Zaslav's remarks came Tuesday morning during Discovery's Q1 earnings call with Wall Street analysts. Zaslav has publicly defended Licht's strategy even as CNN ratings decline amid the transition. According to the sources, David Zaslav has an estimated net worth of $200 million as of the year 2020. As the company's chief dealmaker, Campbell was integral in pulling off the audacious merger via a strategy known as a Reverse Morris Trust of Discovery with the much larger WarnerMedia last year. Discovery chief wants to be the anti-Netflix: all in on theatrical, a fan of linear TV, happy to sell content to. We need radical transparency from media and social media platforms on which politicians, super PACs and lobbyists they fund. Its been 33 years they have been together and there is no rumor of their separation or other affairs. "David Zaslav has been much more open to our exploring all of our animated IP and being able to do it on different platforms," she said at a November conference in London, Variety reported, where she also announced the studio was closing a deal with Amazon for animated DC programming. David Zaslav has a net worth of $200 million. Since their marriage, they have enjoyed delighted and a joyful life. As the creative exec who is perhaps the most name-checked and thanked on stage at the Emmys, Bloys is the guardian and shepherd of WBD's crown jewel: HBO. George Soros, a major donor to Wikipediawho funds many new digital media outlets through his Open Society Foundation (see our nonprofit U.S. Media Index), gave $3,679,800. Alpert Romm is carrying over the duties she held at Discovery before the merger. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. This former CBS News producer and Discovery exec is already making her mark at WBD, overseeing US channels including Turner networks TBS and TNT alongside Discovery's reality-packed channels Food Network and HGTV. Zaslav spearheaded the transaction between AT&T and Discovery to combine with WarnerMedia and create the combined Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav "Is An Imbecile And His Cowardice Is Breathtaking" While a level of sadness and anger in response to a long-awaited release is standard, these particular fans took things to the next level and began blaming the loss of these animated projects to Zaslov . David M. Zaslav (born January 15, 1960) is the president and chief executive officer of Discovery Inc., a position he has held since January 2007.. AT&T will remain the largest shareholder. Austria-born Zeiler is one of only a handful of executives who survived the WarnerMedia merger with Discovery. Afsaneh Beschloss, NPR Board of. It's a disservice to the team.". After a year of harsh headlines- the result of some unpopular decision making Leavy is unfazed and helps Zaslav shut out the noise as he streamlines and repositions WBD for what's likely to be a bumpy year. Any amount given between Jan. 1, 2017, and Aug. 31, 2018, was taken into account for this list. Mini Bio (1) As President and CEO, David Zaslav sets the strategy and oversees all operations for Discovery's global suite of brands across pay-TV, free-to-air, direct-to-consumer and other digital platforms. RYE BROOK, NY. Those two tend to split viewers, and Fox News is regularly No. And Zaslav is acutely aware of this, noting in a recent earnings call that he has locked up Bloys the head of programming at both HBO and streamer HBO Max and much of the HBO creative team into multiyear contracts. 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