Discovery announced a new leadership structure Thursday for the soon-to-be Warner Bros. Discovery media company, setting the stage for the closing of the combined company, which could happen as soon as Friday.
David Zaslav, the chief executive of Discovery who will lead the new company, appointed many of his longtime lieutenants to key positions overseeing areas like cable networks, streaming, revenue, finance, legal and communications.
Over the past few days, the departures of most of WarnerMedia’s corporate leaders, including Jason Kilar, the chief executive of WarnerMedia, as well as Ann Sarnoff, the head of Warner Bros., have been announced.
Several of WarnerMedia’s chief content officials will remain in their positions, including Casey Bloys, the HBO head; Toby Emmerich, the Warner Bros. film chief; and Channing Dungey, the chairman of Warner Bros. TV studio. They will all now report directly to Mr. Zaslav. Chris Licht, who was named the new leader of CNN in February, will also report to Mr. Zaslav.
“Today’s announcement combines a strong team of professional managers in a simpler organizational structure, with fewer layers, more accountability and a singular strategic focus as a global pure-play content company,” Mr. Zaslav said in a statement. “I look forward to rolling up my sleeves with this team so that, together, we can write this next exciting chapter.”
The announcement on Thursday will hardly be the last word on matters. Discovery said that it was still looking for someone to run the sports division, as well as a chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. And as Mr. Zaslav and his Discovery colleagues assume their leadership positions, more changes will likely happen in the coming weeks and months.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nytimes.com
