AT&T CEO John Stankey’s Pay Jumps 18% to $24.8 Million for 2021

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterWarner Bros. Discovery is not going with the “initial wordmark” revealed last June as its official logo.Variety has obtained a low-res copy of a new logo that is being circulated on internal memos at Discovery and WarnerMedia Friday, ahead of the expected close of the merger transaction later today.Discovery did not immediately respond to request for comment on the Warner Bros.

stepped down this week], and the entire WarnerMedia leadership, for leading this remarkable evolution through some of the most unprecedented times …. I am delighted to observe the progress and success you have enjoyed, and I am confident you will transition to this next chapter with even more opportunity. I offer my heartfelt thanks.”AT&T battled stiff regulatory resistance to acquire Time Warner in 2018, only to spin it off in a $43 billion deal with Discovery, whose shareholders approved the merger last month.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaAs Discovery closes its deal for WarnerMedia, John Stankey, the AT&T chief who oversaw the telecom company’s abandoned foray into the media world, bid farewell to his soon-to-be former colleagues. Stankey led AT&T’s acquisition of DirecTV and Time Warner in 2015 and 2018, before replacing Randall Stephenson as CEO role of AT&T in July 2020.“My respect and appreciation for those I have worked closely with is enduring, and I will miss continuing to learn and problem solve with you,” Stankey wrote.

AT&T CEO John Stankey, who decided last spring to spin off WarnerMedia into a $43 billion merged entity with Discovery, has sent a bouquet to WarnerMedia staff as the deal gets set to close.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterSPOLER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “The We We Are,” the April 8 Season 1 finale episode of “Severance.”The Apple TV Plus drama “Severance” ended its first season with a truly big finale payoff for those who’ve patiently awaited answers to the workplace’s thriller many mysteries.Helly R’s (Britt Lower) Outtie is actually Lumon CEO Jame Eagan’s newly severed daughter, Helena Eagan, and she’s just revealed to a party full of Lumon shareholders the company is torturing its severed employees — despite Ms. Cobel’s (Patricia Arquette) desperate attempt to stop her.Mark Scout’s (Adam Scott) Innie has discovered Outtie Mark has a supposedly deceased wife named Gemma (Dichen Lachman) — who is really the very much alive Miss Casey — and shouted the news to a roomful of people at Devon (Jen Tullock) and Ricken’s (Michael Chernus) book party.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterChip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network will move under HBO’s purview upon the completion of Discovery’s acquisition of WarnerMedia, which will result in the launch of Warner Bros. Discovery Monday, Variety has learned exclusively.Allison Page, president of Magnolia, which is a joint venture between the Gaineses and Discovery, Inc., will report directly to HBO and HBO Max chief Casey Bloys.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterCrank up the defiant jazz: “Severance” has been renewed for Season 2 at Apple TV Plus.In the Ben Stiller-directed workplace thriller, Mark Scout (Adam Scott) leads a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a severance procedure, which surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. This daring experiment in ‘work-life balance’ is called into question as Mark finds himself at the center of an unraveling mystery that will force him to confront the true nature of his work… and of himself.Along with Scott, “Severance” stars Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, Britt Lower, Zach Cherry, Dichen Lachman, Jen Tullock, Tramell Tillman, Michael Chernus and Christopher Walken.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterWarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar announced Tuesday he is stepping down ahead of the completion of Discovery’s acquisition of the company, which is expected to occur April 11.“With the pending transaction with Discovery nearing close, now is the right time to share with each of you that I will be departing this amazing company,” Kilar said in a memo sent to WarnerMedia staff. “There are many feelings one could have in a moment like this, but for me there are none bigger, or more lasting, than the feelings of gratitude and love that I have for this team, this company, and this mission. I’ve never been more fulfilled professionally.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorAmazon chief executive officer Andy Jassy’s compensation last year totaled $212.7 million, a nearly sixfold increase from his pay package in 2020 when he headed the tech giant’s AWS division.Virtually all of Jassy’s 2021 comp — $211.9 million — was in restricted stock that vests over the next 10 years, according to Amazon’s proxy statement filed Friday. His base salary was $175,000, unchanged from the two prior years; in addition, Amazon paid $589,149 in security expenses for the CEO.Founder Jeff Bezos, who assumed the role of executive chair when Jassy took the helm July 5, earned a salary of $81,840 ​last year, the same as the two years prior, per Amazon’s filing.

Andy Jassy, a longtime Amazon exec who became the company’s CEO last summer, made $212.7 million in total compensation in 2021, according to an SEC filing.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Bridgerton” Season 2 was viewed for 193 million hours over its debut weekend, per Netflix’s newly released Top 10 rankings for the week of March 21-27. That impressive three-day viewership is a record-breaker, as “Bridgerton” Season 2 is now the most-watched Netflix English-language TV title in its premiere weekend in the streamer’s history.Naturally, the second season of “Bridgerton” landed in the No.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterOscars viewership rose Sunday when 15.36 million sets of eyeballs tuned into the 94th Academy Awards on ABC. The Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes-hosted show was up 56% from last year’s historic low in audience size, per time-zone-adjusted fast-national numbers from Nielsen, and rose 68% in key demo ratings to a 3.2.Looking at last year in the same preliminary fast-national metric, the 2021 ceremony drew 9.85 million viewers and a 1.9 rating among adults 18-49.Final “Live + Same Day” Nielsen data for the 94th Academy Awards, which will show out-of-home viewing and live streaming, will be available Tuesday.

AT&T’s chief executive John Stankey had a $24.8 million salary in 2021, as compared to his $21 million pay the year prior and $22.5 million earnings in 2019, per the telecommunications giant’s Securities and Exchange Commission filing made available Tuesday. While the CEO made a base salary of $2.4 million in 2021 (slightly higher than his $2.05 million in 2020), he received stock awards valued at $13.42 million. However, Stankey’s non-equity incentive plan more than doubled from $3.25 million to $6.88 million from 2020 to 2021.According to the filing, CFO Pascal Desroches received $11.7 million overall compensation in 2021, his first year in the position.

AT&T chief executive John Stankey’s compensation totaled $24.8 million last year, up from $21 million the year earlier. According to a proxy statement filed with the SEC, retired CEO Randall Stephenson made $16.3 million in 2021 (down from $29 million).

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterCBS is restructuring its business affairs operations to expand the duties of Allison Brightman and Jeeun Kim, who currently serve as the executive vice president co-heads of the unit for CBS Entertainment and CBS Studios, to include CBS Sports, CBS News & Stations and CBS Media ventures, Variety has learned.This will put Brightman and Kim in charge of business affairs across all CBS brands, creating a more centralized leadership structure for the company while all of its divisional teams remain in place.The duo’s new shared title is executive vice president and co-heads of business affairs at CBS. with both reporting directly to president and CEO George Cheeks.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDocuseries “Bad Vegan” debuted on Netflix’s Top 10 list of English-language TV series at No. 5, with 27 million hours of the show viewed in the first five days after its March 16 launch. On the film side, “The Adam Project” maintained its hold as the No.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterChristina Ricci, the actress who played Wednesday in the iconic ’90s franchise “The Addams Family,” is returning to the universe by joining Netflix’s “Wednesday” series in a mystery role, Variety has learned.The live-action series from Tim Burton stars “You” and “Jane the Virgin” alum Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams. “Yellowjackets” star Ricci will not be playing an older version of the character for “Wednesday,” but further details about her character are being kept under wraps.The eight-episode series is described as a sleuthing, supernaturally infused mystery charting Wednesday Addams’ years as a student at Nevermore Academy.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Saturday Night Live” has set the lineup of hosts for its next batch of shows, tapping Jerrod Carmichael, Jake Gyllenhaal and Lizzo. While Lizzo will be pulling double duty as her own musical guest, Gunna and Camila Cabello will perform alongside the other two hosts.Per NBC, Carmichael will make his “SNL” hosting debut April 2. Carmichael’s new special, “Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel,” debuts April 1 on HBO.

Former PricewaterhouseCoopers CEO Samuel Di Piazza Jr. has been named chairman of the board of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“The Adam Project” and “Pieces of Her” topped Netflix’s lists of English-language film and TV series for the week of March 7, when the fifth and final season of “The Last Kingdom” was viewed for 63.5 million hours in its first five days after launch.Debuting March 11, the Ryan Reynolds-led flick drew 92.43 million hours viewed in just its first two days on the platform. Meanwhile, “Pieces of Her,” which premiered Season 1 March 4, was the No.