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☆ WBD is suing the NBA so it can stay in business with the NBA. Yikes.
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Discovery boss David Zaslav told investors he'd be ok without NBA games, which his TNT network had been airing for decades. You can read an excellent blow-by-blow of WBD's failed negotiations with the NBA from John Ourand at Puck. One is that WBD somehow wins its suit and ends up forcing the NBA to give it games it would prefer to sell somewhere else. And then there are two other possibilities: One is that WBD doesn't get the games, but extracts some kind of settlement from the NBA for supposedly breaching a contract.

Persons: —, David Zaslav, He's, it's, they've, WBD's, John Ourand, WBD, who's, doesn't, Fox — Organizations: Service, Warner Bros, NBA, TNT, Disney, Comcast, Business, HBO, WBD, Fox, Advertisement College, NFL Locations: Puck

☆ ‘It sucks for all of us.’ Charles Barkley says the quiet part aloud as TNT’s NBA future in doubt
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The situation at Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT network “sucks, plain and simple,” Charles Barkley bluntly said Thursday. Barkley, who said he feels “so bad for the people” he works with, laid blame at the feet of the “clowns” atop WBD. Wall Street has responded quite negatively to the possibility WBD, which has built a programming slate around the NBA, could lose the rights to air the games. And TNT has built a programming slate around the NBA games, most notably the highly rated “Inside the NBA” show. Losing the rights to NBA games could throw aspects of that business partnership into question.

Persons: ” Charles Barkley, NBA ”, Dan Patrick, ”, Barkley, ” Barkley, David Zaslav’s, Adam Silver, Turner, Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw, WBD, “, Shaw, ” Shaw, Joe Flint, Amol Sharma, Isabella Simonetti, Zaslav, Venu, That’s, Gunnar Wiedenfels, Wiedenfels, ” Wiedenfels, there’s, you’ve Organizations: CNN, Warner Bros, TNT, NBA, Turner, Comcast, WSJ, WBD, NCAA, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, College Football, ESPN —, Disney, Fox Corp, Morgan’s Technology, Media & Communications Locations: WBD

☆ HBO is making it harder to watch John Oliver for free — the opposite of what Comedy Central is doing with Jon Stewart
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Peter Kafka | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Discovery is delaying "Last Week Tonight" YouTube streaming to push viewers to Max. Every Sunday night, John Oliver hosts "Last Week Tonight" on cable TV. When it plays on YouTube, where HBO runs it without ads, it doesn't make any money. So hoping that making "Last Week Tonight" a little harder to see for free fits pretty easily into that pattern. AdvertisementThe move also runs counter to the way TV networks are treating comedy #content in general.

Persons: Max, —, Jon Stewart, John Oliver, Oliver, — John Oliver, @iamjohnoliver, David Zaslav, I've Organizations: Warner Bros, YouTube, Service, Warner Bros Discovery, HBO, MAX, Netflix, Big, Max Locations: YouTube's

☆ Warner Bros Discovery re-bundles the bundle
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, Sept 7 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O) is taking bundling to the max. The $27 billion entertainment company wants to add live sports from the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball to its streaming service, free for a limited time, according to Bloomberg. Boss David Zaslav said on Wednesday at a Goldman Sachs conference that CNN will be available too. Warner Bros unveiled its new streaming service Max, which includes HBO, in April. The industry is packed with competitors, and at $16 a month, Max is already one of the most expensive.

Persons: Boss David Zaslav, Goldman Sachs, Max, Walt Disney, Jennifer Saba, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, Warner Bros Discovery, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, Bloomberg, Goldman, CNN, Warner Bros, HBO, Cable, Charter Communications, ESPN, X, Thomson

Discovery boss David Zaslav called for Hollywood to work together to end the writers and actors strikes, which have crippled Hollywood and which WBD this week said could cost the company as much as $500 million this year. “We really have to focus as an industry, and we are, on trying to get this resolved in a way that’s really fair,” Zaslav told the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference on Wednesday. As soon as the strikes are resolved, he said, “everybody is ready to get back to work, us in particular.”Warner Bros. SAG-AFTRA, which represents about 160,000 actors, joined the writers on strike on July 14. We need to do everything we can to get people back to work,” Zaslav said.

Persons: David Zaslav, “, ” Zaslav, Goldman Sachs, Warner, Mario Anzuoni, Reuters “, Shawn Fain, doesn’t Organizations: CNN, Warner Bros, Hollywood, Technology, The, Guild of America, SAG, Writers Guild of America, Netflix, Reuters, “, ” Unions, Teamsters, UPS, United Auto Workers, GM, Ford, UAW Locations: Hollywood, Los Angeles , California, U.S

☆ Barbie’s a boss but not a business model
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Lauren Silva Laughlin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Sept 5 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O) boss David Zaslav is playing too much with Barbie. Mattel (MAT.O), the $8 billion company behind the brand, has increased its market value 20% since late May, growing three times as fast as the S&P 500 Index (.SPX). Lego partnered with Warner Bros in 2014 to produce a movie featuring its renowned plastic bricks. Unlike Disney and its superheroes, Warner Bros doesn’t own the blonde bombshell. Barbie may be this year’s boss, but she and her nostalgic ilk are unlikely to become business models.

Persons: David Zaslav, Barbie, Margot Robbie, Harry Potter, Polly, Cuties, Walt Disney’s, Bob Iger, Warner, oligopolistic, Davidson, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, Warner Bros Discovery, Mattel, Warner Bros, Marvel, Disney, McKinsey, Harley, Thomson

☆ Variety faces calls for a retraction as its head-turning story about CNN drama begins to fall apart
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Variety has a mess on its hands. Former CNN chief Jeff Zucker, The Atlantic journalist Tim Alberta, and Puck Editor-In-Chief Jon Kelly have all called for the outlet to publicly correct the record. But, thus far, Variety has resisted taking any such action, outside quietly removing the widely panned Tatiana Siegel-written feature from its online homepage. The outlet’s deafening silence comes as the piece begins to fall apart in public. (It goes without saying that Zucker’s camp denied to Siegel that this ever happened, but she printed it anyway.)

Persons: Jeff Zucker, Tim Alberta, Puck, Jon Kelly, Tatiana Siegel, Chris Licht, ”, Byers, Zucker, Siegel, David Zaslav, ” Byers, Siegel weaved, imploring, Natalie Korach, Zucker’s, Ramin Setoodeh, Cynthia Littleton, Korach, Kelly, Puck’s, “, Jeffrey Goldberg, …, ” Goldberg Organizations: CNN, Variety, The Atlantic, Warner Bros, Penske Media Corporation, PMC, The Locations: . Alberta, ” Alberta, Miami, cabanas, ”, Russian, Littleton

☆ Media insiders react as CNN's embattled CEO steps down: 'The only person who hates bad press more than Chris Licht is ... David Zaslav.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

CNN CEO Chris Licht stepped down on Wednesday following a damning profile in The Atlantic. "The only person who hates bad press more than Chris Licht is ... David Zaslav," said one ex-CNN staffer. CNN CEO Chris Licht has stepped down after a damning profile in The Atlantic signaled the end to a tumultuous 14 months on the job. Licht stepped into the role in April 2022 after the merger that formed Warner Bros. David Zaslav, the head of the parent company, and John Malone, a big investor, have very specific *editorial ideas for how news should work.

Persons: Chris Licht, David Zaslav, Jeff Zucker, Licht, Oliver Darcy, Brian Stelter, Jamie Stelter, Brian, Kara Swisher, " Swisher, CNN's, Zucker, Glenn Greenwald, Edmund Lee, weren't Licht's, Greenwald, Lee, John Malone Organizations: CNN, Morning, Warner Bros, Wall Street Journal, NY1, Tech, New York Times Locations: Trump

☆ CNN's media reporter delivered a brutal assessment of its CEO after embarrassing profile: 'Licht has lost the room'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

CNN CEO Chris Licht has been hit with a torrent of criticism since a profile of him dropped Friday. CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy wrote that Licht had "lost the room." This time, it's coming from inside the house, as CNN media reporter delivered a brutal assessment of Licht in Monday night's Reliable Sources newsletter. "In the wake of The Atlantic's explosive story, I've spoken with dozens of staffers across the company," Darcy wrote. In fairness to Licht, Darcy also reported that the "somber" remarks the CEO delivered on Monday had "struck the right tone."

Persons: Chris Licht, Oliver Darcy, Licht, Darcy, Puck's Dylan Byers, Byers, Darcy wasn't, David Zaslav, Zaslav's, Zaslav, David Leavy Organizations: CNN, Morning, The Atlantic, Warner Bros Locations: Trump, America, Zaslav

☆ Embattled CNN chief apologizes to staff after embarrassing profile, vows to ‘fight like hell’ to win back trust
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Chris Licht started CNN’s daily network editorial meeting on Monday by directly addressing the elephant in the room. “I want to say that I’ve spent the weekend doing a lot of thinking,” Licht told staffers, many of whom had dialed into the meeting specifically to hear from their embattled chief executive. Employees had not heard from Licht since The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta on Friday published a blistering 15,000-word profile on him. He said that he would “fight like hell” to win over the trust of the 3,500-person news organization he leads. In the immediate future, I’m told, Leavy is counseling Licht and CNN leadership’s primary goal is to stabilize the ship.

Persons: Chris Licht, I’ve, ” Licht, Licht, Tim Alberta, Donald Trump, ”, They’ve, David Leavy, David Zaslav, Zaslav, I’m, wouldn’t, WBD, Leavy Organizations: CNN, Employees, Hudson, Warner Bros, “, North Star

☆ CNN's new COO hire underscores bond between CEO Chris Licht and WBD boss David Zaslav
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

CNN CEO Chris Licht is about to get some help running his news network from a longtime close confidant of Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive officer David Zaslav. Licht has hired David Leavy as CNN's new chief operating officer, the company announced Thursday. Reporters and staffers openly criticized Licht's decision to air a Donald Trump town hall with legions of screaming fans last month. Licht has since acknowledged production issues with the production while standing behind the decision to broadcast a live Trump town hall.

Persons: Chris Licht, Warner, David Zaslav . Licht, David Leavy, Leavy, Licht, Licht's, Donald Trump, Zaslav Organizations: CNN, Warner Bros . Discovery, Warner Bros, Washington , D.C Locations: Trump, Washington ,

☆ Disney investors pay twice for half-leadership
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Jan 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Walt Disney’s (DIS.N) poor succession planning is costing its shareholders twice over. That takes Disney to $60 million in total pay for the duo. Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O), a fraction of Disney’s size, awarded its boss David Zaslav a $247 million compensation package in 2021. For the 2023 fiscal year, his target compensation package in 2023 is approximately $28 million. Disney urged shareholders to vote for its slate of directors at the company’s upcoming annual meeting.

☆ Breakingviews: Disney investors pay twice for half-leadership
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Jan 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Walt Disney’s (DIS.N) poor succession planning is costing its shareholders twice over. That takes Disney to $60 million in total pay for the duo. Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O), a fraction of Disney’s size, awarded its boss David Zaslav a $247 million compensation package in 2021. For the 2023 fiscal year, his target compensation package in 2023 is approximately $28 million. Activist investor Nelson Peltz, through his company Trian Fund Management, has challenged Disney by seeking a seat on the board.

☆ Warner Bros Discovery explores sale of music library - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 12 (Reuters) - Warner Bros Discovery Inc (WBD.O) is exploring a sale of its music library that could be valued at more than $1 billion, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The company is looking for buyers for the music copyrights that it owns, according to the report, which added that the process was in its early stages. Warner Bros Discovery, which was formed last year by the merger of AT&T Inc's (T.N) WarnerMedia unit and Discovery Inc, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Warner Bros Discovery's reported plan would be the latest under top boss David Zaslav, who recently shut down the CNN+ streaming service and canceled the movie "Batgirl". Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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