Jon Steinlauf to Oversee Warner Bros. Discovery U.S. Ad Sales

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWarner Bros. Discovery said profit rose in the first quarter despite declines in traditional TV audiences, as revenue from advertising and distribution rose thanks in part to the company’s streaming inititiatives.Warner Bros.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterJ.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot has signed on to produce the live-action adaptation of the iconic toy “Hot Wheels,” Mattel and Warner Bros.

J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot will produce a live-action Hot Wheels film in the works at Mattel Films and Warner Bros. Pictures, the companies announced today.

The live-action “Hot Wheels” movie based on the toy racing cars is speeding up, as J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot has come aboard the project to produce for Mattel Films and Warner Bros, the companies announced Monday.The “Hot Wheels” film is an action movie based on the 54-year-old toy brand franchise, and it will showcase the world’s hottest and sleekest cars, monster trucks and motorcycles. Screenwriting duo Neil Widener and Gavin James were attached to write the script back in 2020.

In the last three years, we’ve seen every major studio launch their own streaming service (Apple TV+, HBO Max, Disney+, Paramount+, Peackock) in order to stay competitive. But streaming, which just seemed like it was hitting a new golden age, has hit a few major speedbumps.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWarner Bros. Discovery is shutting down CNN+ and is expected to provide details to staffers Thursday, according to two people familiar with the matter.Spokespersons for CNN and Warner Bros.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorSome TV viewers who watched a special kids’ broadcast of an NFL game on Nickelodeon might have witnessed an interesting special effect: a slime monster rising from the football field. Executives at ad giant Interpublic Group saw something else: an opportunity.Interpublic, the ad giant that owns agencies such as Deutsch and McCann WorldGroup, is taking what is believed to be a minority stake in The Famous Group, a technology company that creates mixed and augmented reality experiences for live events.

Jason Momoa (Dune) is in early talks to star in a live-action Minecraft film in the works at Warner Bros., sources tell Deadline.

Jordan Moreau From the watery kingdom of Atlantis to the dangerous deserts of Arrakis, Jason Momoa may be heading to the video game world of Minecraft for Warner Bros, Variety has confirmed.The “Aquaman” and “Dune” star is in talks to join a live-action movie based on the massively popular Minecraft video game, which is the best-selling game of all time with more than 238 million copies sold since its release in 2011.Jared Hess, known for directing “Napoleon Dynamite,” “Nacho Libre” and more, will helm the film. Mary Parent and Roy Lee will produce, and Jill Messick will receive a posthumous credit for working on the film prior to her death in 2018.

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros. and New Line have joined Horizon, the epic period Western that Kevin Costner is directing, starring in and producing through his Territory Pictures. Costner co-wrote the script with Jon Baird,. Costner and Baird recently teamed on the script for another future project, The Explorers Guild. Horizon will put the Yellowstone star back behind the camera for the first time since 2003’s critically acclaimed Open Range. Horizon has been a longtime passion project for Costner, and one that has the sweep of his 1990 epic Dances With Wolves, the film that won Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for Costner among seven wins out of a dozen Oscar nominations.

Well, it’s getting to be that time of year again: the bi-yearly-ish shake-up of DC Entertainment at Warner Bros. which has happened several times over the years now ever since the franchise spun out early following the disappointing release of “Batman Vs.

Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav and other top execs are meeting with employees in a town hall this morning on the Warner lot in Burbank. It’s the first large-scale staff meeting since last Friday’s close of the $43 billion merger.

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav brought out the big guns during his address to the new company at its first global town hall for employees Thursday.The newly merged company brought out its most famous employee, Oprah Winfrey, to moderate the event and to help introduce Zaslav to Hollywood.Winfrey is a longtime supporter of the media mogul, who has championed the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) — a cable channel jointly jointed by Warner Bros. Discovery and Harpo Studio — alongside her since its launch in 2011.

AT&T’s stock price on Monday jumped 8%, to $19.67, as a probable result of Friday’s closure of the deal. The Warner Bros. Discovery share price dipped to $24.48 in after-hours trading, but the start and finish were close enough that the day could hardly be called a roller coaster.Monday was the first day of public trading for Warner Bros.

The newly merged Warner Bros. Discovery will host its first Upfront event on Wednesday, May 18 at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, showcasing its combined portfolio of content, brands, franchises and talent, ad sales chief Jon Steinlauf said Monday.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWarner Bros. Discovery wants to interest Madison Avenue in everything from “Full Frontal” to “90 Day Fiancé.”The newly merged media conglomerate will fold what we’re once two separate upfront presentations into one, the company said Monday, reserving May 18 for a.showcase of both the Warner and Discovery properties as part of a unified portfolio.The new event essentially takes over the spot in May’s upfront week preciously occupied by WarnerMedia.

Warner Bros. Discovery shares had a volatile debut, rising early in the session but heading lower as analysts dissected the newly combined entity following the deal’s close on Friday. Reports out today – and more will follow – range from a thumbs-up on WBD’s streaming, content and planned cost savings, to caution on its debt and its big portfolio of linear cable networks.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaWall Street appears to like what Warner Bros. Discovery is selling.The combined media company started off its first full day of trading Monday in the green. Shares of Warner Bros.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThere’s a new contender in the arena.As Discovery begins its new era of operating Warner Bros., HBO and Turner, all eyes are on how the new company will navigate the media sector’s streaming wars with thousands of hours of content from popular TV brands like TLC, TBS, TNT, CNN and HBO. Behind that effort, however, could look a new sports giant that is poised to add another deep-pocketed player vying for major league negotiations that it previously ignored.Warner Bros.