Warner Bros. Discovery CEO says company ‘not for sale’ amid global merger rumors

Warner Bros. topped the list. Discovery has made headlines for a wide variety of reasons in recent months, as the modern media company has made some noteworthy and unexpected business decisions. As the company attempted to cut $55 million in debt by scrapping nearly completed projects and moving existing movies and shows from streaming service HBO Max, some have questioned exactly what the financial endgame would entail. A recent report from industry analysts suggested that a possible outcome could be a merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and NBC Universal — but CEO David Zaslav has been shuttered. According to a new report, Zaslav recently told employees at the company’s town hall that the company was “not for sale.”

Zaslav reportedly said: “We are not for sale” (Across diverse). “We have everything we need to be successful.”

The Hollywood Reporter’s Warner Bros. Discovery and NBC Universal merger rumor began earlier this month, with sources in the report stating that Comcast CEO Brian Roberts may end up setting his sights on Zaslav, once negotiations begin in April approx. from 2024.

“Obviously, the peacock sucks,” an executive familiar with both companies said in the report. “There are some good synergies. I’m sure [Roberts] He licked a piece because [WBD] Stock is very low. I think this is the end of the Zaslav game. Get the place sold out.”

In the months since the Warner Bros. merger, Discovery Initially, the company canceled a number of potential or upcoming projects, including bat girl And the Scoop! Holiday Hunt, both of which were already in post-production. They’ve also completely cut off scripting development at TNT and TBS, even canceling shows that were only days or hours away from their premiere. Recently, they also removed a number of exclusive movies and shows from HBO Max, including Infinity Train, Aquaman: King of Atlantis, And the witches. While that sparked a lot of fear in fans’ minds, Zaslav publicly reiterated that it was part of a “strategic shift” for the company as a whole.

“We’ve looked closely at the direct-to-live business,” Zaslav explained during a call with investors last month. “We’ve seen, fortunately, with now having access to all the data, how live-to-stream movies are performing, our conclusion is that live-to-stream movies are very expensive, in terms of how people consume them on the platform, how often people go to There or they buy it, or they buy a service for it, and how it feeds over time. It doesn’t compare to what happens when you release a movie in the cinema. So the idea of ​​expensive movies go straight to live broadcast, we can’t find an economic case for it. We can’t find economic value for it .and so we are making a strategic shift, as part of that.”

What do you think of David Zaslav’s new comments about the future of Warner Bros’ discovery? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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