Discovery Chief Executive Officer David Zaslavs total compensation fell more than 17% in 2020, topping out at $37.7 million. We support credit card, debit card and PayPal payments. The TV deal maker will head the new venture formed by his companys merger with AT&Ts WarnerMedia, as he seeks to build a streaming juggernaut. or Is this newly minted class of wealth really absent from politics and political influence? Standard Digital includes access to a wealth of global news, analysis and expert opinion. Jeff Zucker is considered to be the person responsible for the CNNs shift away from the nonpartisan outlet it was before his tenure. 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. [46] He is chair of the Auschwitz: The Past Is Present Committee which promotes awareness of the Holocaust. That leaves $1 billion unaccounted for. Evans fought valiantly for Paramount to release Last Tango in Paris and Tropic of Cancer. And even as Zaslav prepped the launch of streaming service Discovery+, which now has 15 million subscribers, he had thoughts about whether to suggest bundling Discovery with Disney, according to a person familiar with talks. cookies In awarding Zaslav his 2020 cash bonus, the board determined the Discovery chief Discovery chief says 'Journalism First' is new mandate at CNN Discovery boss will soon oversee CNN as part of deal with WarnerMedia, PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 16: President and CEO, Discovery, Inc. David Zaslav speaks onstage during the Discovery, Inc. TCA Winter Panel 2020 at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on January 16, 2020 in Pasadena, California. Zaslav wooed Scripps CEO Ken Lowe for a decade before consummating the $14.6 billion deal in 2018. tips@mediaite.com, Joe DePaolo is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. It's unclear which political direction Discovery CEO David Zaslav wants to take the network in. YOU'VE REACHED YOUR MONTHLY ARTICLE LIMIT. Over the years, he's secured the $1.6 billion European rights to the Olympics and the $2 billion PGA golf rights; bought Scripps Networks, owner of HGTV and Food Network; and launched OWN with Oprah Winfrey. JEFF ZUCKERS CNN EXIT: FIERY MEETING, SOMBER CONFERENCE CALL PROVE MANY STAFFERS ALREADY MISS FORMER BOSS, "So youve got a guy whos run it for nine years," Kernen said, referring to Zucker. Zaslav is on the board of Mexican programming giant Televisa, now merging with Univision. They credited the CEO with safeguarding the companys financial performance during difficult and rapidly changing economic times and growing its direct-to-consumer business. Only 60 people in media leadership had donated more than$2,000 to a political candidate since 2019. didn't, they say, have many progressive ideas. Zaslavs generous compensation plan continues the trend of rich COVID era paydays for media CEOs, some of whom made a show of forgoing a salary when the pandemic hit, only to quietly return to their former levels as the crisis dragged on. Having pulled off the media coup of the decade, the energetic executive will preside over the Warner-Discovery group. While Kernen did not clarify his comments, he went on to say that he sees sports as being on the right side of the Discovery portfolio. The parties spilled onto the beach and ended with fireworks and shark-shaped cake made by the "Cake Boss.". [37][38][39], Since August 2022, Zaslav received heavy criticism for his decision to heavily shrink down the content library on the streaming service HBO Max, to be used as tax write-offs. [52], Zaslav lives in New York City with his wife Pam and the couple has three children. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Sure, Henry Luce, the iconic publisher of Time, Fortuneand Life magazines, put his thumb on the scale. Zaslav earned a BS degree from Binghamton University. Legal Statement. She owns The Atlantic, could still be the largest shareholder of Disney/ABCand funds many digital news nonprofits through the American Journalism Project, which her Emerson Collective helped to create. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Before her recent spending spree, Catz had given very few political contributions this cycle. 1. Other top-paid Discovery executives included Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels, who earned $6.9 million in total compensation, down from the $7.4 million he earned in 2019. Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, gave $500,000 mostly to Democrats. The issue is that not enough of his Yet, we know little about their political views or how that money is being spent. Did Elon Musk, one of the biggest donors to Wikipedia, reallygive only $40,000 to political leaders and causesin 2020-21? 2023 CNBC LLC. [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. Email us. The Discovery CEO also took aim at Fox News, describing the conservative outlet as much more of an advocacy network than a news network., I think overall wed probably be better off if we just had news networks in America, Zaslav said. Per Barr, Zaslav said he is waiting for the deal to close before discussing or simply divulging those types of plans. 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. There are just under 100 days until Election Day. Dominic Patten / Deadline: David Zaslav Praises CNN Adding More GOP Voices; Balance Strategy Is Important, Warner Bros Discovery Boss Says. CNNs political stance is a source of frequent scrutiny in the news industry. Zaslav made a similar remark during an AT&T and Discovery joint news conference in May 2021, describingthe left side of the joint company as everything other than the content.. For now, a trio of CNN executives will assume Zuckers responsibilities at the network. "I, and we as a company, we are a fighter for news. [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". Barry Diller, owner of The Daily Beast and Investopedia, gave $120,000. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. This time, the bulk of Zaslavs compensation came from stock awards ($12.5 million) and non-equity incentive plan compensation ($21.8 million). He must also mobilize his charisma to keep his uneasy management in place during the one-year-plus period while lawyers and bankers hammer out legalities and obtain antitrust approval. Jeffrey Sprecher, the CEO of the Intercontinental Exchange and husband to Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., who came under scrutiny for their stock dealings during the start of the coronavirus pandemic, gave nearly $1.3 million during the April-June quarter. The names of the super PACs (Win Red, Dirt Road, Fair Fight, Follow the North Star, Security is Strength) are almost comical, even if the totals are gobsmacking. Zaslav, known for delivering fast yes or nos to business partners, would be able to move ahead with speed. WebHome. George Soros, a major donor to Wikipediawho funds many new digital media outlets through his Open Society Foundation (see our nonprofit U.S. Media Index), gave $3,679,800. Barr also said Zaslav did not give an answer when asked about current CNN boss Jeff Zuckers future at the soon-to-be combined company. Pre-pandemic, David Zaslav's end-of-summer parties in the Hamptons were a legendary networking event for anyone in media. Zaslav had a hand in the launch of MSNBC, another left-leaning network, during his time as an NBC executive. Together, Discovery and WarnerMedia will span every genre from Hollywood movies and TV shows to reality TV, to news and sports. 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Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. David Zaslav is a talented and driven man who understands change. Eric Zinterhofer, board member of Univision, gave $102,000. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, Less Than Half of U.S. Discovery+ Subscribers Are Also HBO Max Customers, David Zaslav Says, Discoverys David Zaslav Wants Industry to Leave Nielsen in the Dust. [12] At the age of 8, he moved to Rockland County where he graduated from Ramapo High School. I probably shouldnt have said that.. They received collectively more than $3 billion ($3,427,543,995) in the 2019-20 presidential election cycle and showed independent expenditures of more than $2.1 billion. Discovery CEO David Zaslav was confronted on Friday about the future of CNN, the liberal network he is set to oversee once a looming merger is official, but Discovery. The executive who is soon to take over CNN appeared to make a candid admission about where he sees the network. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, whose media giant is set to close its merger with CNNs owner WarnerMedia this spring, made the surprise remark during a They are doing that, and there's still time," Eberhart said. He doesn't.". 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. Zaslav is on the board of Mexican programming giant Televisa, now merging with Univision. Where the country was when we launched MSNBC was much more fact-based and less divided.. You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many users needs. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said Friday on CNBC that he had nothing to do with Jeff Zuckers CNN exit. He was granted no options. 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