WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar Exits Ahead of Merger With Discovery

With the box office’s rebound just as 5K attendees are reconvening at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, exhibition and studios can rest easy knowing that there’s a return to a theatrical window. For most studios with tentpole fare, that’s 45-days, and for those titles with less commercial appeal or aimed at specialty audiences, it’s 17 days.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDiscovery+ is set to launch a new docuseries focused on Black food history in America from producer Viola Davis, featuring scholar and cookbook author Caroline Randall Williams as host, Variety has learned exclusively.The four-episode show, titled “Hungry for Answers,” will follow Williams as she travels the country, “uncovering the fascinating, essential, and often untold Black stories behind some of America’s classic and emblematic food and spirits,” per the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned streamer.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterSPOLER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched “Ariadne,” the Season 1 finale of “Russian Doll.”It’s been more than three years since the first season of “Russian Doll” launched on Netflix, and as such, even the most die-hard fans of the Natasha Lyonne time-loop dramedy need to forgive themselves if they don’t remember exactly how the first-season ending played out. But it is important we get that straight now if you want to enjoy Season 2 right when it launches Wednesday.So here to clear up what she considers a “misnomer” about the conclusion to “Russian Doll” Season 1, which had a lot of threads to follow in its closing moments, for Variety is star and co-creator Lyonne herself.

working for Fox had become “unsustainable.”“He was in last place every week, every year, every month,” Kelly said of Wallace, recalling her time at Fox. “He was always in last, and they still paid him.”She then said she received a similar offer to jump ship for CNN.“I considered going to CNN.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterWarner Bros. Discovery and AT&T each ended the trading week with their respective shares selling at a 3% increase from where the stocks opened Monday.The newly formed Warner Bros. Discovery, born out of the $43 billion merger of Discovery, Inc.

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.

according to CNN.Discovery stakeholders had approved the deal in mid-March.The merger will place AT&T’s Warner Bros., CNN, Turner and Discovery’s stable of nonfiction networks squarely under one roof — as well as two currently competing streaming services, Discovery+ and HBO Max, possibly giving the combined entity a fighting chance of moving into competition with Netflix and Disney+ among the leading streaming services.The deal also combines WarnerMedia’s U.S. sports rights like the NBA, MLB and March Madness with Discovery international sports giant Eurosport.

now officially merged WarnerMedia and Discovery will open for business as Warner Bros. Discovery Monday.While little is known about the future of the new company, it’s clear what valuable brands, IP, executives and customers they will each be bringing to the table on their first day as a combined entity.Founded in 1985, Discovery, Inc.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDiscovery completed its $43 billion acquisition of WarnerMedia from AT&T on Friday to form new company Warner Bros. Discovery.WarnerMedia owns HBO, HBO Max, CNN, Warner Bros., DC Films, New Line Cinema, TBS, TNT, TruTV, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Turner Sports and Rooster Teeth, among other brands, and is part owner of the CW Network along with Paramount.Discovery is the parent of Discovery Plus, Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, Turbo/Velocity, Animal Planet, Science Channel and OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network).Here is the new leadership structure for Warner Bros.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWarnerMedia and Discovery are on the cusp of officially closing their deal. With the change in leadership at the new Warner Bros. Discovery, will there be pricing changes for the new conglomerate’s flagship HBO Max streaming service?Insiders say there aren’t any immediate plans to alter HBO Max’s pricing scheme — in the U.S., it currently costs $14.99/month without ads, the same as it did when the service debuted in May 2020, and $9.99/month with ads.Similarly, it’s likely that Discovery Plus will remain at $6.99/month without ads and $4.99/month with ads for the time being.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterWarner Bros. Discovery is not going with the “initial wordmark” revealed last June as its official logo.Variety has obtained a low-res copy of a new logo that is being circulated on internal memos at Discovery and WarnerMedia Friday, ahead of the expected close of the merger transaction later today.Discovery did not immediately respond to request for comment on the Warner Bros.

Among the leadership announcements, Warner Bros. Picture Group chairman Toby Emmerich, HBO/HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys, and Warner Television chairman Channing Dungey will continue in their respective roles, reporting to Warner Discovery CEO David Zaslav.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterChip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network will move under HBO’s purview upon the completion of Discovery’s acquisition of WarnerMedia, which will result in the launch of Warner Bros. Discovery Monday, Variety has learned exclusively.Allison Page, president of Magnolia, which is a joint venture between the Gaineses and Discovery, Inc., will report directly to HBO and HBO Max chief Casey Bloys.

Ahead of tomorrow’s expected close of the $43 billion WarnerMedia-Discovery merger, the executive leadership structure of the new company has been set.

EXCLUSIVE, UPDATED WITH MORE DETAILS: Less than 24 hours after CEO Jason Kilar, HBO Max boss Andy Forssell and Studio chief Ann Sarnoff were pink slipped from the about to disappear WarnerMedia, more executives were shown the door today.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDiscovery is cleaning house among the top ranks at WarnerMedia ahead of the close of the two companies’ merger, which is expected to occur Friday, with six more executives shown the door Wednesday, Variety has learned.According to a WarnerMedia spokesperson, the newly cut WarnerMedia players include: Jennifer Biry – Chief Financial Officer, Jim Cummings – EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer; Tony Goncalves – EVP, Chief Revenue Officer; Christy Haubegger – EVP, Communications and Chief Inclusion Officer;  Jim Meza – EVP, General Counsel, WarnerMedia; and Richard Tom – Chief Technology Officer.Notably remaining with the soon-to-be-combined company, which will be renamed Warner Bros. Discovery and run by current Discovery CEO David Zaslav, is Gerhard Zeiler, president of WarnerMedia International, a source close to the internal leadership changes confirmed to Variety.

previously reported would be expected to kick off his tenure with in many ways a clean sweep of the top executives and replace with his own execs. More to come…

The Walt Disney Co. initially took heat for not taking a public position on Florida’s so-called “don’t say gay” bill — and now they are under fire for doing just that.

HBO Max executive vice president and general manager Andy Forssell is leaving WarnerMedia ahead of the close of the company’s merger with Discovery, which is now set to close as early as Friday, Variety has learned.News that Forssell is out the door comes just as sources confirmed WarnerMedia studios and networks group chairman and CEO Ann Sarnoff was informed on Tuesday by leadership that her position would be eliminated, and follows WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar’s resignation this morning.As Variety reported earlier Tuesday, though insiders previously said the transaction between Discovery and WarnerMedia’s current owner AT&T would be formally completed on April 11, leading to the creation of new company Warner Bros. Discovery, two sources with knowledge of the situation say the merger is now expected to potentially be finalized by the close of business Friday.

Ann Sarnoff, who has held a senior film and TV studio role at WarnerMedia for nearly three years, is departing the company ahead of its merger with Discovery.