Discovery Chief David Zaslav Sees CNN, WarnerMedia Movies, TV As New Opportunities

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAccelerating climate change and its far-flung effects have  fast become the most important story in the news cycle. But that isn’t always the stuff that gets talked about or tweeted — or the biggest ratings.Part of the issue? Shifts in the environment happen gradually over time, not usually in a violent, shocking moment that can be captured by cameras.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe CEO of NBCUniversal said the company enjoyed robust demand in the TV industry’s upfront market, but offered no tangible detains on volume or pricing to help bolster his case.“It was the strongest upfront I think probably in the history of NBCUniversal,” said Jeff Shell, NBCU’s CEO, speaking during an investor conference with Credit Suisse Monday. “We saw results in this upfront far beyond what we thought we’d see.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorA new lineup of Saturday programming and a surge of post-pandemic spending by Madison Avenue helped the CW boost its volume of advertising commitments in TV’s annual “upfront” market, a sign that advertisers continue to make the medium a central part of their plans even as they are showing new interest in chasing viewers to new streaming venues.The network, jointly owned by ViacomCBS and AT&T’s WarnerMedia, has wrapped its upfront negotiations, according to a

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCNN said it would bring legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin back to its roster of contributors after he was suspended from his main place of employment after exposing himself during a Zoom call with colleagues.“I hope to be a better person off camera as well as on camera,” Toobin told anchor Alisyn Camerota in one of the more bizarre segments CNN has broadcast in recent memory.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThis year’s upfront ad-sales session is shaping up to be one of the fastest in recent memory. But some TV companies are working to slow things down.At a time when advertisers appear willing to capitulate to significant pricing increases, they are still balking at demands from both Discovery and ViacomCBS, according to three media buying executives and other people familiar with the tone of these annual negotiations for commercial inventory between U.S.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorHyundai didn’t go to the Super Bowl this year, but it’s taking a trip to Disneyland.The large automaker has struck a broad advertising pact with The Walt Disney Company that will have characters from ABC’s “Black-ish,” announcers from ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and even characters from Marvel tout the benefits of the new Tucson compact SUV in on-screen appearances set to roll out over the next few months.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorNews and sports will definitely have a place in the world of streaming, but may require new formats and programming concepts to make them fit the needs of modern audiences, according to the executive who oversees WarnerMedia’s HBO Max.News and sports programming are a significant factor in keeping consumers tethered to cable and satellite subscriptions in an era rife with cord-cutting, said Andy Forssell, general manager of HBO Max, while speaking Thursday at an

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAdam Levine, the popular Maroon 5 frontman and entertainment personality, will perform an original song for the coming animated feature film “Paw Patrol: the Movie,” backed by Spin Master Corp. and ViacomCBS’ Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures.The new song, “Good Mood,” was written by Shellback, Savan Kotecha, Oscar Görres and Adam Levine and is produced by Shellback from MXM Productions and Oscar Görres for Wolf Cousins Productions.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWho will Greg Gutfeld yell at now?Juan Williams, the resident liberal member of the popular Fox News panel show, “The Five,” is leaving the program for which he has worked since 2011.“COVID taught me a lot of lessons. As the show goes back to the New York studio, I’ll be staying in DC.

Discovery CEO David Zaslav, a week after announcing a $43 billion deal to merge with WarnerMedia in a spinoff from AT&T, sees validation in today’s news that Amazon is swallowing MGM.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorHockey great Wayne Gretzky was made an analyst for Turner Sports’ new NHL coverage, part of a quick ramp-up in talent as the WarnerMedia unit prepares to handle a new seven-year deal with the league it hopes will expand its professional-sports presence and draw new viewers to cable outlets like TNT and TBS.Gretzky is slated to offer studio analysis during key moments of the NHL regular season and throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, under terms of a new contract.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorJeff Zucker, chairman of news and sports at WarnerMedia, held a company town hall on Tuesday in which he addressed the recent Chris Cuomo-CNN controversy and answered questions regarding return-to-office plans.Zucker suggested CNN staffers who were vaccinated and wished to return to the outlet’s New York offices would likely be able to do so starting in June, according to a person familiar with the event.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe nation’s big media companies are on a new mission: finding ways to unite thousands of individual binge-watchers into a cohesive mass audience.Madison Avenue is eager to chase consumers moving from TV to new streaming hubs like Paramount Plus, Peacock and HBO Max. But when advertisers do, they find a much different set of viewing patterns than they do on the old familiar screen.

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.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFox Weather unveiled its senior executive structure ahead of a launch of its ad-supported streaming service devoted to all things meteorological in the third quarter of 2021.The leadership team will include: David Clark, senior vice president and head of programming; Steve Baron.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorIt’s just the latest salvo in TV’s never-ending morning-news wars: CBS’ Gayle King is about to stroll into territory long dominated by ABC’s Robin Roberts.Starting this fall, “CBS This Morning” will hold forth from a new studio in New York’s Times Square.

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.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCNN is trying to stay out of anchor Chris Cuomo’s latest family affair.CNN said it had no plans to discipline its top primetime anchor, despite the fact that he provided counsel and aid during staff meetings to his brother, Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, while he was in the midst of fending off sexual harassment accusations.A report Thursday in The Washington Post revealed that Cuomo, who anchors CNN’s 9 p.m.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWarnerMedia tried to put its best foot forward on Wednesday by focusing on the future of its own media assets, rather than questions about its looming spinoff from AT&T and merger with Discovery.Executives at the AT&T-owned media conglomerate put a spotlight on the company’s broad array of media outlets and talent during an upfront presentation to advertisers. The showcase, largely pre-taped, featured Leslie Odom Jr.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMichael Corn, the former top producer of ABC’s “Good Morning America,” has joined Nexstar Media Group’s “NewsNation” as president of news, the latest attempt by Nexstar to boost a programming initiative that has faced tremendous headwinds.Corn will oversee NewsNation’s current news programming and new efforts as well. The company recently indicated it would launch a morning program in addition to the evening hours it currently maintains.