Warner Bros Discovery Re-Ups Chief Corp Affairs Officer David Leavy To New Contract

All,With mixed emotions I share my decision to leave as President, Global Business & Legal Affairs and Content Supply Chain, effective at the end of this year.Between now and then I’ll be working with Kathleen’s senior US Networks team on the transition.  Our shared goal is to ensure the most efficient and effective structure for the organization moving forward.  To that end, Kathleen will be sharing some additional organizational announcements shortly.My decision to leave was not easy and I have been grappling with it for months.  But, with my contract up next spring and the ongoing transformation of our newly merged company, the timing made sense.  It has been my greatest honor to have been a part of this organization and to have worked with some of the most talented executives in our industry.  My colleagues in the global business & legal affairs team, as well as in our global production management organization, are the best in class and I have no doubt that you will continue to excel in the years to come.Between now and December 31, I hope to be able to speak to as many of you as I can to personally thank you for making these past 8 years some of the most rewarding in my professional life.  Thank you.All the best,Marc

Marc Graboff is leaving Warner Bros. Discovery after almost eight years at the company and its predecessor, Discovery. Inc.  Graboff, a respected veteran television business executive, just notified the company staff of his decision. A key member of the senior executive team of David Zaslav, CEO of Discovery — and now WBD —  Graboff made the transition to the combined company following the merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia. Most recently reporting to Kathleen Finch, Chairman and Chief Content Officer, US Networks Group, Graboff will leave in December after assisting with the transition.

Warner Bros. Discovery announced the leaders of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) team, with WarnerMedia UK SVP Asif Sadiq serving as its global chief officer.

EJ Panaligan editor Disney, Amazon Studios, Fox Corp., Warner Bros. Discovery and other major Hollywood players are pledging support for the Roybal Film and Television Production Magnet, a major educational outreach initiative championed last year by George Clooney and others. Paramount and NBCUniversal/Telemundo Enterprises are also signing on to become founding partners of the Los Angeles Unified School District magnet facility. These companies join previously announced founding partners History Channel/A+E Networks, Netflix and Sony Pictures Entertainment. The group has committed to providing more than $4 million in funding for the school, which opened in August with 150 students at the Edward G. Roybal Learning Complex in downtown Los Angeles.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery enacted 100 layoffs Tuesday as part of a planned downsizing of the company’s ad sales departments that had been in the works since Discovery closed its merger with WarnerMedia in April, Variety has confirmed. These cuts are part of a previously reported and expected 30% reduction overall across the ad sales division, a sector of the merged company with many redundancies, in the coming weeks. However, not all of the exits will be layoffs, according to an individual with knowledge of the situation. An undisclosed number of those departures will be negotiated deals, while others will be retirements. The layoffs set in motion Tuesday are the latest in a string of moves made by Warner Bros. Discovery in an attempt to fulfill the promise made by CEO David Zaslav and his exec team to find $3 billion in cost-saving synergies in the first two years after the merger. The most high profile so far, aside from other layoffs within Warner Bros. Discovery, was the decision that “Batgirl,” the $90 million Warner Bros./DC movie starring Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, would not be released theatrically, on HBO Max, or anywhere else. 

Axios.Up to 30% of the combined sales teams of the merged company are expected to be cut. The move comes as Warner Bros. Discovery cleaned up Monday night at the Emmys and bested all other companies with the most Emmy wins.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor The blowback Warner Bros. Discovery received over its cancellation of “Batgirl” was “blown out of proportion,” according to CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels. Last month came word that “Batgirl,” the $90 million Warner Bros./DC movie starring Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, would not be released theatrically, on HBO Max, or anywhere else. WBD, formed formed earlier this year by Discovery’s acquisition of WarnerMedia, determined that taking a tax write-off for “Batgirl” made more financial sense than releasing it commercially. “To me, you know, it’s blown out of proportion a little bit, in terms of the attention externally,” said Wiedenfels, speaking Thursday at the Bank of America Securities Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference, regarding the “Batgirl” decision. “The focus is, on a go-forward basis here, we’re spending more than ever in the history of the two legacy companies on content. We’re continuing to make significant investments — [but] we’ll make them differently.”

Warner Bros. Discovery‘s surprising decision to shelve “Batgirl” early last month sparked controversy around the industry.

The surprising decision last month to shelve completed DC movie Batgirl was “blown out of proportion” by the press, according to Warner Bros Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has unveiled its leaderships in the Nordics, including Pil Gundelach Brandstrup, who will be in charge of all content and planning across the region. Brandstrup will also continue leading content for Denmark. Other key appointments include Magnus Vatn, Axel Eriksson and Katja Santala who will continue as country content leads, with Lina Friman continuing to head up planning, reporting to Brandstrup. Roni Patel will be responsible for content licensing; Kasper Kryger will be responsible for the ad sales business in the region; Jesper Steenberg will be responsible for the new consolidated distribution team; Tore Fredrik Dreyer will head up distribution for theatrical, games and home entertainment; and Jessie Ross Skarvad will be responsible for marketing and publicity of theatrical, games and home entertainment.

Warner Bros. Discovery has set another of its European management teams, as Nordic chief Christina Sulebakk lays out the structure of her unit.

canceling the HBO Max premiere of a Matt Reeves/J.J. Abrams “Batman” animated series (it is still in production but is being shopped to other networks and streaming services).In the past, DC FanDome was the first place that the trailer for Robert Pattinson’s “The Batman” was revealed, where stars like Dwayne Johnson would show up to talk about “Black Adam” and where comic book news is frequently broken.

K.J. Yossman Warner Bros. Discovery and BT Group have formed a joint venture combining the assets of BT Sport and Eurosport U.K. into an as-yet-untitled joint venture. Both WBD and BT hold a 50% stake each in the new venture and are equally represented on the board. The chair will be rotated between the companies, with the inaugural post held by BT, who have appointed Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s consumer division. Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe president and managing director Andrew Georgiou is also on the board and will lead the business. Although the transaction has been completed, BT Sport and Eurosport U.K. currently retain their individual identities and can continue to be accessed by viewers as normal. They will be merged at an unspecified date.

The transaction for Warner Bros Discovery and BT Sport’s joint UK and Ireland sports venture has closed successfully.

With all the drama surrounding Warner Bros. Discovery in recent months, particularly after CEO David Zaslav took over the company after its recent merger, it’s easy to forget that it wasn’t that long ago WarnerMedia (without Discovery) was battling plenty of controversy all on its own.

shelved a slew of animated projects amid steep cost-cutting at the company. Media giants like Netflix, Apple and Hulu are looking to scoop up the Bruce Timm and JJ Abrams-directed flick, which draws inspiration from DC Comic’s Batman franchise, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Entertainment site the Direct floated Disney as a possible bidder, too.

actress Ivory Aquino isn't giving up on the DC Comics hero. Following a  article that revealed Warner Bros.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter “Batgirl” actor Ivory Aquino is speaking out about Warner Bros.’ decision to indefinitely shelve the DC film. In an emotional letter addressed to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslov, Aquino — who played the best friend of Barbara Gordon (a.k.a. Batgirl) — pleaded for the studio executive to rethink the alleged plan to permanently destroy the movie’s footage. “As one of many who poured our hearts into the making of this movie, I ask that this measure be reconsidered,” Aquino wrote Wednesday night on Twitter. “As much as I’ve tried my best to be strong these past few weeks, I’d find myself crying, for lack of a better term, from grief, and tonight was one of those nights.”

media reports. Jonathan Young, VP of original programming and production at HBO Max for Europe, Middle East and Africa; Christian Wikander, VP of original programming for the Nordic region; and Annelies Sitvast, who oversees unscripted original programming were all let go as part of the conglomerate’s latest consolidation move.