David Zaslav Sidesteps Paramount Global M&A Question, Talks NBA Rights Deal and High CEO Paychecks at Milken Conference
06.05.2024 - 21:17
/ variety.com
Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Warner Bros. Discovery is staying on the sidelines of the Paramount Global acquisition drama — at least for now. That was the signal sent Monday by WB Discovery CEO David Zaslav during his appearance at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills.
Zaslav was pressed during the hourlong panel about the status of WB Discovery’s bid to extend its TV rights agreement with the NBA, and he was pointedly asked to defend the high levels of compensation for media CEOs, including himself. Zaslav came in for criticism last week when his 2023 comp package of about $49 million was disclosed after a year in which WBD’s stock price sank by double digits. “I think all CEOs need to be paid with alignment with shareholders,” Zaslav said.
“And the majority of compensation should be aligned with the performance of the stock. And if the stock does well, then the CEO should do really should do much better. And if the stock doesn’t do well, the CEOs shouldn’t should not.
And so I think alignment is critically important. That has been the focus for me over the years and I think it’s been the focus of investors — to get real alignment, not just between CEOs but senior leadership to be driven and be aligned with shareholder growth.” Zaslav acknowledged that the disconnect between rising executive compensation and the erosion of earnings by rank-and-file creative community workers was a factor that fueled last year’s Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes. He spoke on a panel designed to examine “The Corporate Compass: Charting the Role of the CEO” that also featured Carmine Di Sibio, CEO of EY, Time magazine CEO Jessica Sibley and FedEx chief Raj Subramaniam.
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