Warner Bros. Discovery Cuts Scripted Programming Development at TBS, TNT (EXCLUSIVE)

Selome Hailu Months before the Warner Bros. Discovery deal was completed, execs at the now-merged company promised to find $3 billion in synergy savings over the next three years.

Warner Bros. Discovery is moving fast with its reorganization.

Selome Hailu In a memo obtained by Variety on Thursday, Warner Bros. Discovery’s head of HR Adria Alpert Romm reiterated to staffers that they’d be required to work from the office three days per week beginning June 1.Discovery’s acquisition of WarnerMedia was completed on April 8. On April 26, Deadline reported the company’s first memo mentioning the 3-day requirement.The news comes amid a series of high profile executive exits at Warner Bros.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterBrad Wilson, HBO Max’s U.S. general manager and EVP of global data, CRM and growth, is exiting amid an ongoing shakeup at new company Warner Bros.

Manori Ravindran International EditorWarner Bros. Discovery’s international streaming lead JB Perrette has said that an extensive joint venture with BT Sport, which was confirmed on Thursday, ensures that the company won’t be a “one-product, one-content type story,” particularly in the U.K.The 50-50 sports joint venture between Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Discovery and British telecom giant BT Group have confirmed plans to form a 50-50 joint venture, creating a new premium sport offering for the UK and Ireland. This will see the transfer of the operating businesses of BT Sport to Warner Bros Discovery, effectively merging the content offering of both BT Sport and Eurosport UK.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefWarner Bros. Discovery and telco giant BT are to launch a premium sports venture in the U.K. and Ireland.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s Johanna Fuentes is leaving as Head of Global Communications for Studios and Networks Group after a transitional period. The departure is a result of a decision to decentralize the communications functions of the recently formed Warner Bros. Discovery whose communications teams will be announced later.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterBrett Weitz is exiting as general manager of TBS, TNT and truTV, Variety has learned.Weitz, who was appointed to the role in January 2019, was among the group of WarnerMedia execs that came over under the new David Zaslav-selected regime at Warner Bros. Discovery, following the close of the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger in early April.Weitz was moved under Discovery lifestyle channels chief Kathleen Finch, who assumed a newly created role of chairman and chief content officer of U.S.

Warner Bros Discovery UK EVP & Country Manager, UK & Ireland, Polly Cochrane is stepping down after 13 years.

EXCLUSIVE: Jeffrey Schlesinger, who was previously President, Warner Bros Worldwide Television Distribution, has set up his own consultancy shingle.

RTS London Unveils Lineup & Warner Bros Discovery’s Priya Dogra As Chair

Variety, which first reported the news, part of the terms of them joining would be having access as producers to DC Entertainment with the rights to develop characters and properties, with DC a major priority for Warner Bros. Discovery under its new leadership from CEO David Zaslav. However, any new agreement with De Luca and Abdy would not be completed until they’ve officially exited Amazon.

Michael De Luca and his partner Pamela Abdy are in talks to join Warner Bros. Discovery as film executives, multiple insiders familiar with the situation told Variety.Scenarios being discussed include having De Luca and Abdy launch a movie label within the Warner Bros. Pictures group, or enlisting them to take roles within that division itself.

Warner Bros International Television Production Australia, in partnership with Speech & Drama Pictures, has acquired exclusive international rights to develop holiday-themed ballad “How To Make Gravy” into a Christmas film.

The newly-formed Warner Bros Discovery Sports is launching The Power Of Sport, a cross-platform magazine show that will run for 18 weeks in Europe. Premiering May 4 on Eurosport 1, discovery+ and Eurosport’s digital platform, the show looks to take fans deeper into human stories and issues in a “bold and powerful” take on the sporting week.

EXCLUSIVE: Kill the Orange-Faced Bear starring Damon Wayans Jr. will not be going forward at TBS. The cast and crew were just told about the decision, which comes a week before the comedy series was scheduled to begin production on its 10-episode order in Vancouver. I hear the project, which has a filmed pilot, will be shopped to other outlets by the producers.

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.

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.

David Zaslav expressed a lot of excitement for the future of his newly merged company on Thursday during a company town hall with Oprah Winfrey at the Warner Bros. Burbank lot, he was vague on details for some immediate issues, including where $3 billion in planned cuts will come from. When asked by Winfrey about the cuts, Zaslav said that his transition team is still in the process of sifting through assets from both sides of the new company to determine where such cuts could be made.