Just hours after the studios and streamers made public their latest “comprehensive package” towards a deal with the WGA, the guild has responded – and its seems the AMPTP and top CEOs may have strategically overplayed their hand.
03.08.2023 - 14:23 / deadline.com
Sports and news programming will be coming “soon” to Max, according to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.
The categories “are important. They’re differentiators. They’re compelling,” he said on the company’s second-quarter earnings call with Wall Street analysts. “They make these platforms come alive. If you’re on an SVOD platform and something is going on in the world and you can see it, it makes that platform really alive. So, you will hear from us on that. Soon.”
Zaslav didn’t offer any timeline for when news and sports might be added to Max, which rebranded in May from HBO Max and incorporated a large amount of programming from Discovery+, which is still offered as a stand-alone. While the company has digital rights to its sports content, the task of migrating broadcasts from linear to streaming is fraught, given the carriage fees WBD charges to pay-TV operators for TNT, CNN and other networks. Zaslav said the management team is “working hard” on refining the programming mix and determining how best to incorporate news and sports down the line.
The CEO was asked about recent reports that a beefed-up ESPN streaming service will be made available outside the pay-TV bundle by 2025. The Disney sports outlet is facing the same challenges as Warner Discovery as it navigates the broader shift from linear to streaming. “We’re focused on how we’re going to use our sports domestically and globally to create more shareholder value and economics and help the leagues, who are all interested in reaching more people, more demographics. So, that’s our focus.”
WBD, which reported spotty quarterly results but also posted better-than-expected free cash flow, is facing a big decision in the sports arena about whether to renew
Just hours after the studios and streamers made public their latest “comprehensive package” towards a deal with the WGA, the guild has responded – and its seems the AMPTP and top CEOs may have strategically overplayed their hand.
WGA leaders met face-to-face with key CEOs on Tuesday evening as executives sought to pitch the guild on their most recent contract offer in the hopes of ending the nearly four-month-old strike. Late Tuesday, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers released details of the contract offer presented to the WGA on Aug. 11.
Bob Bakish is to be honored with the Personality of the Year gong at this year’s Mipcom Cannes.
Manchester United will face their first trip to a 'big six' team this season this weekend when they travel to Tottenham Hotspur.
writers strike. The CEOs of the major studios — including Ted Sarandos of Netflix and David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery — are also expected to hold a joint call on Friday to discuss the next move in the talks.
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Layoffs have hit the streaming marketing team at HBO and Max. A source close to the situation told Variety Wednesday that the cuts are in the double digits, but no specific number was available at the time of publication. The insider says the content division is not impacted by these layoffs.
Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Bleacher Report has a new type of game to analyze. Surf on over to the sports-commentary site that has been part of the Warner Bros. Discovery stable since 2012, and you’ll see the usual stuff: a ranking of the best superstar duos in the NBA; speculation over whether the Atlanta Hawks will trade for the Toronto Raptors’ Shams Chanria; and an aggregation of a story about the Kansas City Chiefs and defensive tackle Chris Jones.
K.J. Yossman Andrew Georgiou upped to head of Warner Bros. Discovery’s media business in the U.K.
More change at Warner Bros. Discovery, with UK and Ireland boss Antonio Ruiz exiting to be replaced by Andrew Georgiou.
Brent Lang Executive Editor Hit any picket line in Hollywood these days, and there’s a good chance you’ll see signs slamming the lavish paydays for entertainment chiefs like Disney’s Bob Iger and Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav. For the striking actors and writers who are holding out for a better deal from the major studios, these bloated compensation packages have become a very effective cudgel.
have poured blood, sweat and tears into the work of the royal family — and will make a fine king and queen when the time comes, according to an inside source. Lady Violet Manners, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, revealed in an interview that the couple is doing a “remarkable” job representing the Firm — while also gearing up for the task ahead.The Prince of Wales, 41, is first in line for the British throne, following his father, King Charles.
Toby Jones & David Morrissey Board ITV Yorkshire Ripper Drama
In a just-released clip from his Peacock show Hart to Heart, Kevin Hart asks Dwayne Johnson why, given what Hart sees as a successful opening and “an appetite from your fan base,” Black Adam didn’t get a sequel.
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros Discovery’s long-serving exec Alyson Jackson has exited after 14 years in David Zaslav’s stable.
Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Warner Bros. Discovery appears to have bigger digital plans for Charles Barkley and Anderson Cooper. Warner Bros.
“Barbie is really important for us,” beamed Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav on the conglom’s Q2 earnings call about the first pic to hit $1 billion under his reign.
Barbie has been in movie theaters just over 2 weeks, and the film has made over $800 million worldwide already. Now, fans are wondering when they’ll be able to stream Barbie at home.
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery lost 1.8 million streaming subscribers from April 1-June 30, the quarter during which it launched new combined streamer Max. Streaming subscribers across WBD’s HBO, Max and Discovery+ now total 95.8 million, per the company’s Q2 earnings report released Thursday.
Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Warner Bros. Discovery trimmed its losses in its second quarter but saw revenue fall in key areas such as advertising and content production as the company, built from a merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery Communications, continues to navigate shifting terrain in the media sector.
Warner Bros. Discovery reported spotty financial results in the second quarter, but delivered better-than-expected free cash flow.