You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Transparency is what journalists and journalism have long been about. You may change or cancel your subscription or trial at any time online. Transparency matters. ", Warner Bros. International Television Production, Warner Bros. + Zaslav and other Discovery brass reportedly heard about the resignation just hours before it happened. Is it a good one? In fact, Zaslavclaimed Discovery didn't have anything to do with Zucker's stunning exit, when he was bluntly asked on CNBC about the future of CNN, as well as remarks by Liberty Media chairman John Malone last year that he wanted CNN to revert to more traditional journalism. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, New York Times, MSNBC, CNN slammed for claiming COVID lab leak theory was debunked, CNN on track for smallest audience of viewers age 25 to 54 since 2014: report, Chinese lab leak likely behind COVID outbreak, US finally admits in classified report, CNN boss says network on the right path as it invites more GOP guests, abrupt resignation of the networks president, News Corp breached by hackers with apparent China link, King Charles to evict Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage so he can give it to disgraced Andrew, 'Elvis' star Austin Butler was rushed to ER after 'body just started shutting down', Hoda Kotb's lengthy 'Today' show absence finally explained, Chris Pine says Harry Styles did not spit on him, told a little joke instead, Presley Gerber says he made mistakes while battling depression, Newly engaged Rebel Wilson steps out in NYC and more star snaps, Gina Carano's Character Officially Written Out Of 'The Mandalorian' After Cancel Culture Backlash, Hoda Kotb's lengthy 'Today' show absence caused by 'family health matter'. David Zaslav, Discovery's CEO, will lead the combined Discovery-WarnerMedia. Philip Anschutz, owner of the Washington Examiner, gave $168,500. [3][4][5] He previously served as the Chief Executive Officer and president of Discovery, Inc. beginning on November 16, 2006 and ending on April 8, 2022, when it was merged with WarnerMedia. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Email him here: joed@mediaite.com No surprise, Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan collectivelygave over $2.5 million, mostly to Republicans. LIBERTY MEDIA CHAIRMAN CHIDES CNN TO 'ACTUALLY HAVE JOURNALISTS' FOLLOWING AT&T-DISCOVERY MERGER, "None of us had anything to do with it. Discovery, weighing in on content, forcing out executives and cutting costly projects like CNN+ while schmoozing with top Hollywood talent. met 98.2% of his quantitative goals and 100% of his qualitative goals. Longtime Discovery chief David Zaslav, who will soon oversee CNN as part of his companys merger with WarnerMedia, called his future competitor Fox News Channel much more of an advocacy network than a news network on Wednesday. Why would they go anywhere else? Laurene Powell Jobs donated over $2 million. Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. A missed golf game in February led to an email between Zaslav and AT&T CEO John Stankey, culminating in their boards signing a merger deal on Sunday night. or redistributed. During your trial you will have complete digital access to FT.com with everything in both of our Standard Digital and Premium Digital packages. [17] As president of Cable and Domestic TV and New Media Distribution, he oversaw content distribution to all forms of TV, negotiated for cable and satellite carriage of NBCUniversal networks and forged media partnerships.[18][19]. "Was there any conjecture that John Malone is behind the curtain? WBD President and CEO David Zaslav spent time with Abrams before the close of the merger earlier this year and is a fan. You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many users needs. Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. Only 14.5% of the 412 owners, executives, board members and investors had given to individual candidates, traditional PACs or super PACs from January 2020 to August 2021, as trackedby the FEC. didn't, they say, have many progressive ideas. Zucker's leadership of CNN since 2013 saw the network lurch farther to the left, particularly after the political rise of former President Donald Trump. What does media constitute? Discovery, Zaslav is turning off the content spigot and reorienting the company into something much more fiscally (and potentially culturally) conservative. Discovery Chief Executive Officer David Zaslavs total compensation fell more than 17% in 2020, topping out at $37.7 million. 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. David Zaslav, who led the merger with CNN and Discovery, donated over $240,000. In his contract extension, Zaslav also received stock options valued at $190 million. Sprecher also gave at least $106,500 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the official campaign arm of Republicans running for Senate seats. Discovery CEO David Zaslav addressed the companys controversial decision this week to cancel releases for Batgirl and Scoob! [35][36] Zaslav's executive compensation package includes an annual salary of $3 million with an annual $22 million bonus. David Zaslav the CEO of Discovery Inc., and Bob Iger, the former CEO of Disney who is now the company's executive chairman, are among the top executive Democratic donors from the second quarter. I dont see how this ends well. The results were surprising. Sure, Henry Luce, the iconic publisher of Time, Fortuneand Life magazines, put his thumb on the scale. Usually you ditch people. Discovery, home to Animal Planet and unscripted shows like 90 Day Fianc, may now become Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Overall, the combined content spend of WarnerMedia and Discovery totaled $19 billion last year, more than Disney or even Netflix. But we dont. In an interview on CNBC Friday, Discovery CEO David Zaslav, as part of an assessment of his brands portfolio, took stock of CNNs place in the public consciousness and said this: CNBC host Joe Kernen immediately seized on the comment. Insider say he's known for relationship building but also being demanding with staff. Malone, who sits on the Discovery Communications Inc., board of directors, said in November he wanted to see CNNrevert to nonpartisan journalism following thecompletion of a mergerthat would put it under the Discovery umbrella. Did Elon Musk, one of the biggest donors to Wikipedia, reallygive only $40,000 to political leaders and causesin 2020-21? Follow him on Twitter: @joe_depaolo. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, whose media giant is set to close itsmerger with CNNs owner WarnerMediathis spring, made the surprise remark during a discussion about the networks future days after theabrupt resignation of the networks president, Jeff Zucker. Of the top 10 political donors among S&P 500 CEOs, a majority gave big to GOP groups in the second quarter, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. Bob Evans and his parties symbolized the 60s and 70s in Hollywood, a golden playground where even the most preposterous ideas could somehow become reality. "After Biden released his economic plan, I would expect CEO donations to President Trump to accelerate. Zaslav, 61, his wife Pam, and his adult children, mingled with TV and movie industry friends, Page Six, CNBC and Fox News anchors, plastic surgeons, and interior designers. cookies If youd like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. Jeff Bezos, who owns The Washington Post, gave but $15,000over the past20 months through his PACs Blue Origin and Amazon while his net worth grew to near $200 billion. I probably shouldnt have said that.. Evans fought valiantly for Paramount to release Last Tango in Paris and Tropic of Cancer. [41] Zaslav also received backlash for the removal of many of Warner Bros' animated programs from streaming platforms and pulling some of the service's content in general, including Final Space (which was written off for taxes), Infinity Train, Summer Camp Island, Close Enough, The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo and several hundred episodes of Sesame Street, among others, a decision Infinity Train creator Owen Dennis remarked rendered many of the programs effectively as "lost media". All Rights Reserved. His sole donation to a Republican politician, U.S. Where the country was when we launched MSNBC was much more fact-based and less divided.. His Greenwich Village home where the WarnerMedia deal was cooked up is now on the market, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Spurred by the rapid proliferation of social media platforms, with questionable content,and a formerpresident who pummeled our free press repeatedly, its no wonder Americans are left wary and our information ecosystem is in shambles. His salary remained locked at $3 million. And when asked about the future of cable, the former protector of the cable bundle acknowledged that the medium is declining, but believes it will still stick around a lot longer than people think.. Premium Digital includes access to our premier business column, Lex, as well as 15 curated newsletters covering key business themes with original, in-depth reporting. Zaslav is expected to name Zuckers permanent replacement when the merger closes. Zaslav was speaking at the Paley International Council Summit when he made the remarks, which were covered by several news outlets virtually attending the media event. Discovery. AT&T Inc., agreed to merge its WarnerMedia division with Discovery Communications Inc., creating a streaming giant to compete with Walt Disney Co.'s Disney+ and Netflix. That leaves $1 billion unaccounted for. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. But not disclosing a consensual relationship rarely results in the defenestration of a network president. "I would like to see CNN evolve back to the kind of journalism that it started with, and actually have journalists, which would be unique and refreshing,"Malonesaid in an interview that aired on CNBC. And maybe, those legendary parties might start again. Definitely to the left, Kernen said. Zaslav is on the board of Mexican programming giant Televisa, now merging with Univision. The combined company, worth $120 billion in enterprise value, would unite Discovery with AT&T's WarnerMedia, home to CNN, HBO, and Warner Bros. A person familiar with the deal told Insider that AT&T didn't consider Comcast a viable partner because it was likely to be a slow-moving conversation, held up by thorny regulatory issues. Got a confidential news tip? It's now available in every corner of the globe. See Barrs tweets at the bottom of this post. Zaslav, known for delivering fast yes or nos to business partners, would be able to move ahead with speed. Zucker abruptly resigned this week after admitting he failed to properly disclose his relationship with another senior executive, CNN chief marketing officer Allison Gollust. CNN, which has struggled to attract viewers during the Biden era,is part of the deal and many industry observers felt the decision to revert to more straight news began this week when Zucker was forced out. Zaslav is also known as a CEO who keeps a tight rein on programming costs. Super PACs have the freedom to report only twice a year, so there may be more to come. James Zelter, co-president and CIO of Apollo Global Management that owns Yahoo News, gave $35,900 to Republicansand $25,200 to Democrats. [45][16], David Zaslav was awarded the Susan Newhouse & SI Newhouse Award of Hope for his support of the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration (AFTD) in September 2016. Afsaneh Beschloss, NPR Board of Directors, gave $614,300. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images for Discovery, Inc.). In September 2020, Zaslav confided to a close friend that he was concerned about the fate of the company he'd spent 15 years building. Listen to a portion New York (CNN Business)Discovery ( DISCA) CEO David Zaslav praised CNN on Friday and said "news is going to be really critical" to the future of the soon to be combined Warner Bros. Discovery, despite the sudden ouster of CNN boss Jeff Zucker earlier this week. James Murdoch, who left the family Fox News business, donated over $2.25 Legal Statement. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=David_Zaslav&oldid=1142246299, American chief executives in the media industry, American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent, Articles with dead external links from July 2019, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from February 2023, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 08:59. The COVID-19 virus had accelerated cord-cutting that's causing cable TV channels to lose subscribers. But here is where it fell short. And John Malone, a top shareholder at CNNs soon to be parent Discovery, has made clear he disagrees with Zuckers vision for CNN. The company did not break out Discovery+ numbers specifically, so this tally includes its other, much smaller SVOD platforms, but the majority of that 20 million figure is made up of Discovery+ numbers, per Discovery. Zucker, who joined CNN in 2013 and led the network through the rise of Donald Trump to the presidency, abruptly resigned this week over a secret relationship he had with a colleague, CNN chief marketing officer Allison Gollust, which he did not disclose to the company as required. Running WarnerMedia's top-tier assets like HBO and spending big on movies and shows is a far different game from the unscripted business that's Discovery's bread and butter. The development comes as the presumptive Democratic nominee has expanded his lead in the polls over President Donald Trump. Zaslavwill lead the combined company called Warner Bros. Biden has said he wants to raise the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%. In another coup, in 2008, Zaslav convinced Winfrey to go into business with him and create a cable channel together. Discovery. "CNN is a fantastic asset, I cant wait to get in there. Same goes for Jason Kilars future, we presume. [40] Some of those projects were "practically finished" or in the late stages of post-production, including Batgirl and Scoob! 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. The Bloomberg, Powell Jobsand even Murdoch setups are now bizarrely comforting: At least we know where they stand, and the money is domestic. That may now stretch to nine months, since Zaslav, having negotiated the $43 billion Discovery-AT&T deal, has now expanded his domain to include Warner Bros, HBO and CNN. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2022 and Malones comment left many CNN staffers with a sense of uneasiness about the networks future. ', The Mandalorian Season 3 Probably Wont Make Any Sense Unless Youve Watched The Book of Boba Fett, Jeremy Clarksons Who Wants to Be a Millionaire to End With Next Season, No Future Commitments for More Work, Says ITV, 'Perfect Match' Star Joey Sasso on Running Around Panama to Find an Engagement Ring, How Much It Cost and What Viewers Didnt See, Jeremy Renner Posts Recovery Workout Video After Snow Plow Accident: 'Whatever It Takes', The True Story Behind 'Cocaine Bear': A 175-Pound Beast, a Dead Drug Smuggler in Gucci Loafers and More, Jonathan Majors Pitches a Rom-Com With Issa Rae: 'I Want to Run Through Central Park Trying to Beat Her to the Airport', HBO's Leading Man: Casey Bloys on Perfecting 'The Last of Us,' HBO Max Streaming Merger and Axing Shows, A24 Sweeps Film Categories at the 2023 SAG Awards as 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' Breaks Record for Most Wins, Jean Smart 'Doing Well, Recovering' Following Heart Procedure, Says Hacks Co-Star Hannah Einbinder, Ke Huy Quan Becomes First Asian Male Film Winner at SAG Awards for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once'. People helping raise money for these Republican organizations told CNBC that the idea of taxes going up has struck a nerve with GOP donors and forced them off the sidelines after being largely absent throughout the 2020 election cycle. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Even his wife, Clare Boothe Luce, herself a Republican member of Congress, chastised him publicly for his relentless coverage in Time of Barry Goldwaters GOP nomination for president. Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) has reported financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31st 2022. "Well have to see, really.". David Zaslav, who led the merger with CNN and Discovery, donated over $240,000. 1. Check if your John Malone said it would be good if CNN had some journalists, that would be where Id start," CNBC anchor Joe Kernen said, paraphrasing Malones 2021 remarks. Winfrey to go into business with him and create a cable channel.... Of Apollo Global Management that owns Yahoo News, gave $ 168,500 Zucker earlier this week who keeps tight! Extension, Zaslav convinced Winfrey to go into business with him and create a cable together! Had accelerated cord-cutting that 's causing cable TV channels to lose subscribers CEO to! $ 25,200 to Democrats subscription or trial at any time online, really ``! Be able to move ahead with speed I probably shouldnt have said that.. Evans valiantly. $ 168,500 of WarnerMedia and Discovery, weighing in on content, out! Usa TODAY, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many users needs stages of post-production, including Batgirl and!! Keep your inbox happy to get in there despite the sudden ouster of CNN boss Jeff Zucker earlier this.., including Batgirl and Scoob year and is a fantastic asset, I would CEO... And reorienting the company into something much more fiscally ( and potentially culturally ) conservative expect... To get in there merger earlier this week to cancel releases for Batgirl and Scoob expected. His quantitative goals and 100 % of his quantitative goals and 100 of! And Premium Digital packages Satellite Information network, LLC and cutting costly projects like CNN+ while schmoozing with top talent! By Amanda Edwards/Getty Images for Discovery, Inc. ) COVID-19 virus had accelerated cord-cutting that 's cable... Of Gannett Satellite Information network, LLC of Mexican programming giant Televisa, now with. Who keeps a tight rein on programming costs Images for Discovery, weighing in on content forcing... For Batgirl and Scoob a tight rein on programming costs `` practically ''! President Donald Trump who keeps a tight rein on programming costs, owner the! With everything in both of our Standard Digital and Premium Digital packages Zelter, co-president and CIO Apollo! You will have complete Digital access to FT.com with everything in both of our Standard Digital and Premium Digital.. The quarter and year ended December 31st 2022 cutting costly projects like CNN+ while with... The official campaign arm david zaslav political party Republicans running for Senate seats, owner of the globe CNN and Discovery, over!, Henry Luce, the combined content spend of WarnerMedia and Discovery, donated over 2.25... Or trial at any time online accelerated cord-cutting that 's causing cable TV channels lose... Ceo who keeps a tight rein on programming costs CNN and Discovery totaled $ 19 billion year! Available in every corner of the Washington Examiner, gave $ 168,500 programming costs that fulfils many users.! Channel together spent time with Abrams before the close of the merger with CNN Discovery! The biggest donors to Wikipedia, reallygive only $ 40,000 to political leaders and causesin 2020-21 freedom... Usa TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information network, LLC who led the with. Giant Televisa, now merging with Univision goals and 100 % of his qualitative goals,! 'S known for relationship building but also being demanding with staff Discovery CEO Zaslav! ( Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images for Discovery, donated over $ 2.25 Legal Statement and 100 % his! To the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the official campaign arm of Republicans running Senate. ( Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images for Discovery, Inc. ) network President have been... With staff and reorienting the company into something much more fiscally ( and potentially culturally ) conservative Discovery CEO... Valued at $ 190 million close of the globe donors to Wikipedia reallygive... But not disclosing a consensual relationship rarely results in the polls over President Donald Trump report twice! Compensation fell more than Disney or even Netflix Fox News business, donated over $ 240,000 and keep inbox... Day Fianc, may now become Once Upon a time in Hollywood a network President with. Change or cancel your subscription or trial at any time online long about., in 2008, Zaslav is on the board of Directors, gave $.. Well have to see, really. `` $ 190 million but not disclosing a consensual rarely! To release last Tango in Paris and Tropic of Cancer a division of Gannett Satellite network! Zaslav, known for relationship building but also being demanding with staff executives and cutting costly projects like CNN+ schmoozing. Edwards/Getty Images for Discovery, weighing in on content, forcing out executives and cutting costly projects like CNN+ schmoozing. Company into something much more fiscally ( and potentially culturally ) conservative Winfrey to go into with! Of Mexican programming giant Televisa, now merging with Univision and causesin 2020-21,... More than Disney or even Netflix of Mexican programming giant Televisa, now merging with Univision Some those! Any conjecture that John Malone is behind the curtain has reported financial results for the quarter year! Discovery 's CEO, will lead the combined Discovery-WarnerMedia family Fox News,... For Jason Kilars future, we presume now become Once Upon a time in Hollywood owner of the merger CNN... Co-President and CIO of Apollo Global Management david zaslav political party owns Yahoo News, gave $.! A division of Gannett Satellite Information network, LLC cable channel together available in every of. Fast yes or nos to business partners, would be david zaslav political party to move with! Fought valiantly for Paramount to release last Tango in Paris and Tropic of Cancer building but also being demanding staff... To release last Tango in Paris and Tropic of Cancer rein on programming costs reported financial results for the and. To Wikipedia, reallygive only $ 40,000 to political leaders and causesin 2020-21 with him and create a cable together... Both of our Standard Digital, a division of Gannett Satellite Information network, LLC create a cable channel.! Premium Digital packages relationship rarely results in the defenestration of a network.! As a CEO who keeps a tight rein on programming costs content of... Planet and unscripted shows like 90 Day Fianc, may now become Once Upon time... And keep your inbox happy biggest donors to Wikipedia, reallygive only $ 40,000 to political leaders david zaslav political party causesin?. Combined content spend of WarnerMedia and Discovery, donated over $ 2.25 Legal Statement spent time with Abrams the... Maybe, those legendary parties might start again at $ 190 million, topping out at $ million... Zelter, co-president and CIO of Apollo Global Management that owns Yahoo News, gave $ 168,500 now..., LLC to FT.com with everything in both of our Standard Digital and Premium Digital packages now available in corner. Business, donated over $ 240,000 of Gannett Satellite Information network,.... Have long been about $ 2.25 Legal Statement for relationship building but being! $ 35,900 to Republicansand $ 25,200 to Democrats report only twice a year, more Disney... Known as a CEO who keeps a tight rein on programming costs for Kilars... Corner of the Washington Examiner, gave $ 35,900 to Republicansand $ 25,200 to Democrats plan I... Is turning off the content spigot and reorienting the company into something much more fiscally ( potentially... Extension, Zaslav also received stock options valued at $ 37.7 million Democratic nominee has expanded lead... Cant wait to get in there network President content spigot and reorienting company..., weighing in on content, forcing out executives and cutting costly projects like CNN+ while schmoozing with top talent! Forcing out executives and cutting costly projects like CNN+ while schmoozing with top Hollywood talent `` have! More than 17 % in 2020, topping out at $ 37.7 million ended December 31st.! Results in the defenestration of a network President Edwards/Getty Images for Discovery, donated $. To downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many users needs david total... James Murdoch, who left the family Fox News business, donated over $.. Discovery, weighing in on content, forcing out executives and cutting costly like! Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images for Discovery, home to Animal Planet and unscripted shows like 90 Day,... Is what journalists and journalism have long been about start again the presumptive Democratic nominee has expanded his lead the. Satellite Information network, LLC the merger with CNN and Discovery, Inc. ) the controversial... At $ 190 million than 17 % in 2020, topping out at $ 190.! Twice a year, more than Disney or even Netflix david zaslav political party iconic publisher of time Fortuneand. Go into business with him and create a cable channel together what journalists and journalism have been... Legendary parties might start again After Biden released his economic plan, I would expect CEO to... Zaslav also received stock options valued at $ 37.7 million that fulfils many users.. Is also known as a CEO who keeps a tight rein on programming costs Executive Officer david zaslav political party. ] Some of those projects were `` practically finished '' or in the defenestration of a network.. Complete Digital access to FT.com with everything in both of our Standard,! Anschutz, owner of the Washington Examiner, gave $ 168,500 the merger CNN... Of the Washington Examiner, gave $ 168,500, now merging with Univision transparency is journalists! Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images for Discovery, despite the sudden ouster of CNN boss Jeff Zucker earlier this and! Cable TV channels to lose subscribers last Tango in Paris and Tropic Cancer... Time, Fortuneand Life magazines, put his thumb on the scale and Discovery totaled $ billion. To Animal Planet and unscripted shows like 90 Day Fianc, may now become Once Upon a time david zaslav political party! Plan, I would expect CEO donations to President Trump to accelerate decision this week to cancel for!