Discovery Chief David Zaslav 2020 Pay Drops to $37.7 Million

One day prior to its massive merger with WarnerMedia, Discovery gave its CEO David Zaslav nearly 15 million stock options, which are valued at $190 million, according to the Wall Street Journal.A representative for Discovery did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.The Journal said the 14.8 million in stock options were part of Zaslav’s new contract, which was announced on Tuesday, one day after the merger announcement. The deal runs through 2027.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaIt pays to pull off a massive media merger.Discovery chief David Zaslav is certainly being handsomely rewarded for his role in pulling off the merger agreement between his company and WarnerMedia. A day before AT&T announced it was spinning off WarnerMedia and combining it with Discovery, Zaslav received 14.8 million stock options on Sunday as part of a contract extension, which the Wall Street Journal reports are worth $190 million.

Discovery awarded CEO David Zaslav nearly 14.8 million stock options on Sunday, the day before the company unveiled plans to merge with AT&T’s WarnerMedia.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“Everybody’s Talking About Jamie,” the film adaptation of the popular West End musical, will debut on Amazon’s Prime Video.The film was originally set to be distributed on October 23, 2020, by the Disney-owned 20th Century Studios, but COVID scrambled those plans and forced the studio to delay the release. Amazon bought distribution rights for an undisclosed sum.

it was announced he’ll take over a new company formed from a merger with WarnerMedia.“Mr. Zaslav’s resignation is not the result of any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to its operations, policies or practices,” Lionsgate said in an SEC filing Wednesday announcing the move.

AT&T and Discovery rocked Hollywood with the combination that will see WarnerMedia and Discovery rolled together into a new standalone public entertainment company led by Zaslav — as AT&T exits the sector and Discovery doubles down.

Discovery announced Tuesday that it’s extended the employment contract of president and CEO David Zaslav through December 31, 2027. His previous agreement ran through 2023.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaAT&T chief John Stankey and Chief Financial Officer Pascal Desroches were asked tough questions about the implications of the pending merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery during an all-hands meeting of studio employees on Tuesday.Stankey tried to placate worried staffers by assuring them that he was going to advocate on their behalf and also urged them to “stay the course” during the months it will take for the deal to close.

down 18% from 2019). Zaslav’s annual salary stayed at $3 million last year, when his stock awards slipped by about $1 million to $12.5 million.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorDiscovery said it had extended the contract of its CEO, David Zaslav, through 2027, ensuring the executive would be in place well after the proposed merger of the company and WarnerMedia is expected to be completed in the middle of next year.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaDiscovery Plus will premiere “No Responders Left Behind,” a documentary about the fight waged by former “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart, social activist John Feal and FDNY hero, Ray Pfeifer, to get health benefits and compensation for 9/11 first responders. The film will stream on Discovery Plus globally this September.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorThe first swing in the talks that led to the union of Discovery and WarnerMedia was an email sent by David Zaslav to John Stankey on Feb. 13.That was around the time that the Discovery CEO and his AT&T counterpart had planned to meet for a golf date at the storied Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in central California that is sponsored by the telecom giant, as they did last year.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaIn the wake of a mega-deal with Discovery that seems primed to shake up the media landscape, AT&T chief John Stankey and WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar urged employees to stay focused on their jobs while they wait for the pact to close.“During this period, our direction and mission remain the same,” Stankey wrote in a staff-wide memo obtained by Variety.

calling the network “the elephant in the room” in the administration’s opposition. The deal won approval and was ultimately completed in June 2018.AT&T announced Monday that it was spinning off WarnerMedia into an independent company that will merge with Discovery Inc.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorDavid Zaslav will lead a new combination of WarnerMedia and Discovery, the latest example of consolidation in the media and entertainment industry as the rise of video streaming continues to upend the entire sector.Zaslav was named CEO of the new company Monday, part of a surprising move by AT&T and Discovery to pool their media resources and make a bid to compete more directly with large rivals like Netflix, Walt Disney and NBCUniversal.

AT&T and Discovery Monday announced a definitive agreement to combine WarnerMedia’s  premium entertainment, sports and news assets with Discovery’s leading nonfiction and international entertainment and sports businesses to create a premier, standalone global entertainment company led by Discovery CEO David Zaslav.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorDiscovery CEO David Zaslav is, by his own definition, a “fighter.”He’s poised to record quite a knockout if he pulls off a merger with AT&T’s WarnerMedia unit in a pact that will leave him as the ultimate keeper of the keys to HBO, HBO Max, Warner Bros., Turner channels and a growing global suite of direct to consumer streaming businesses.News of Discovery’s pursuit of a union with the erstwhile Time Warner assets came on so fast that executives and recent

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaAMC Entertainment’s quarterly financial results demonstrate that moviegoing may be slowly returning after months of COVID-related struggles, but cinemas still have to dig out of a deep hole left by a public health crisis that decimated their business.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaMore than 50 years after it hit theaters and ushered in a new and more sexually daring style of on-screen entertainment, “Midnight Cowboy” continues to rank among the greatest American films ever made.

Mike Fries, CEO of Liberty Global, John Malone's international cable giant, saw his overall pay package for 2020 shrink to $44.9 million, compared to a pay packet of $123.2 million in 2019 that was part of a front end-loaded, multi-year compensation package. The $123.2 million overall compensation package for 2019, part of a new five-year contract renewal, included a multi-year remuneration target, certain levels of stock appreciation and amounts aggregated into a single year lump amount.