AT&T's WarnerMedia & Discovery merger streaming consolidation 2 2

[Bosco685]

On 10/25/2022 at 9:35 PM, jsilverjanet said:

I believe hes completed the Xmas special with GOTG right?

has he completed GOTG 3?

Looks like he has contractual commitments until May 2023.

That has got to be weird co-leading DC Studios and finalizing GotG Vol. 3.

[jsilverjanet]

#bringbackzack

[Bosco685]

Behind the ‘Bold, Ballsy Move’ of Hiring James Gunn and Peter Safran to Run DC

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As DC Studios’ new co-chairmen and CEOs, James Gunn and Peter Safran aren’t just the heroes DC deserves. Unlike the Dark Knight, they’re also ones it desperately needs.

 

Hiring Gunn — director of “The Suicide Squad” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” — and Safran, manager-turned-producer of “The Conjuring” and “Aquaman,” ended a dramatic and months-long leadership search. Following the merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery in April, new CEO David Zaslav signaled his hopes for a 10-year plan for the brand and a desire to find a Kevin Feige of his own who could create a division to rival Marvel. Then-DC leader Walter Hamada, clearly not whom Zaslav had in mind, exited last week. Talks with “The LEGO Movie” producer Dan Lin went nowhere.

 

Maybe it was worth the wait. Producers and insiders who spoke to IndieWire say Gunn and Safran possess the singular creative vision needed to lead the DCU — not the “DCEU,” or DC Extended Universe, as it was previously known. The sources give Zaslav a lot of credit for the very old-school move of giving two creatives the keys to an entire slate of IP rather than an executive who might lack the vision to wrangle a common storytelling thread. That skill belongs to Feige and a select few others.

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An individual with knowledge of the arrangement told IndieWire that Gunn and Safran have a four-year deal in which they are exclusive to DC. As disclosed in Tuesday’s announcement, they’ll report directly to Zaslav and will work closely with Warner Bros. film chiefs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, as well as WB TV’s Channing Dungey and HBO’s Casey Bloys, with the goal of assembling a holistic creative vision for DC’s film, TV, and animation projects.

 

In that time, the individual adds, they’ll have full creative control over the direction of the DC brand. It may even give Gunn some leeway to continue directing and producing projects — as long as it’s within the DC family.

 

Safran’s production banner The Safran Company recently re-upped its production deal with Warner Bros. and its president of production, John Rickard, will continue to oversee those projects including “The Nun 2,” which is currently shooting in France.

 

Gunn and Safran will continue to oversee TV deals that each already have in place — most notably, Gunn’s HBO Max hit “Peacemaker” that spun off from last year’s “The Suicide Squad.” They’ll also have some oversight on Matt Reeves follow-up to “The Batman,” according to the individual, but it’s unclear how or if it might connect into any wider cinematic universe.

 

The same is true for many existing DC series in development, such as The Penguin spinoff series from “The Batman” or Greg Berlanti’s long-gestating “Green Lantern” series. However, a second individual with knowledge said official connective tissue between any of the shows or movies is to be determined. The exception, of course, is Todd Phillips’ “Joker” sequel. Like its 2019 predecessor, it has always been within its own storytelling world.

 

Producers who previously worked with Safran told IndieWire that they don’t expect Gunn and Safran to make any marked changes to DC movies already in the works, but will quickly determine the characters they want to highlight and the tone they want to strike.

I think their biggest hurdle is overcoming years of bad executive management that left a black eye on the live DCU films. And yet having to allow a few films and TV shows to clear the old roadmap before their own kicks in.

[Bosco685]

 

[paperheart]

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) reported third quarter earnings after the bell on Thursday, missing expectations across several areas.

Here are Warner Bros. Discovery's third quarter results compared to Wall Street's consensus estimates, as compiled by Bloomberg:

• Revenue: $9.82 billion versus $10.37 billion expected

• Adj. loss per share: -$0.95 versus -$0.17 expected

• Total DTC subscribers: 2.8 million net additions versus 3.27 million expected

The company also reported a net loss of $2.3 billion in the three months ending September 30 after a $3.4 billion loss in Q2.

 

[Gatsby77]

Counting today's loss (so far), the stock's down 19.5% over the last 5 days. And a few minutes ago was trading at a record low of $10.28.

Great time for true believers to buy in!

[Bosco685]

 

[Bosco685]

[Bosco685]

 

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WarnerMedia and Discovery were combined last year in a transaction that was not challenged by the DOJ after a review.

 

“The company has the incentive and ability to eliminate broad swaths of its workforce, leaving workers with fewer choices for employment and advancement,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter (read it here). They cited the layoffs over the past year, including the shutdown of CNN+, as well as later cuts at CNN and in areas like ad sales.

 

It would be unusual for the Justice Department to essentially reopen a review of a merger so shortly after it has been completed, but the lawmakers appear to have been bolstered by Kanter’s comments on the DOJ’s concerns over the impact of consolidation on content creators and workers, not just on consumers.

 

Last year, the Justice Department successfully challenged the proposed Penguin Random House merger with Simon & Schuster on the grounds that it would ultimately harm authors. After a federal judge ruled in the government’s favor, the companies abandoned that transaction.

 

Arguing that the merger has led to the “hollowing out” of an “iconic American studio,” the lawmakers also cited the cancellation of projects and the removal of content from the HBO Max platform. They wrote that “audiences will never see such projects like Batgirl, a $90 million film that was cancelled while ‘deep into post-production,’ despite consumer outcry, reportedly to allow WBD to claim a tax break.”

Not intended to be a political post. More about merger approvals and considering the benefit of investors and consumers. 

[media_junkie]

Ok, so the DOJ didn't say no last year when they had reviewed things, so I'd have to say "to bad so sad" and for the lawmakers to go pound sand.  Can you imagine the nightmare that would happen if all of a sudden the government said, "Nope, you can't be together anymore, time to split".  They should have raised a stink before the merger happened (and if they did and it still went through, oh well).

[Bosco685]

On 4/7/2023 at 5:00 PM, media_junkie said:

Ok, so the DOJ didn't say no last year when they had reviewed things, so I'd have to say "to bad so sad" and for the lawmakers to go pound sand.  Can you imagine the nightmare that would happen if all of a sudden the government said, "Nope, you can't be together anymore, time to split".  They should have raised a stink before the merger happened (and if they did and it still went through, oh well).

Agreed!

What can they do after the fact? Other than put pressure on the merged company, and tell them their actions will be scrutinized as a publicly traded company.

[D84]

If this sets precedent, can we get Marvel and Lucasfilm away from Disney?

[Gatsby77]

On 4/7/2023 at 4:17 PM, Bosco685 said:

 

Not intended to be a political post. More about merger approvals and considering the benefit of investors and consumers. 

What I don't get about the criticism in the article above is how the "removal of content" from the platform constitutes "reduced choice" for the consumer.

With the cancellation of Batgirl, it might be valid, but I also only learned today (when it was reported earlier this week) that HBO Max basically sold most of their removed content to Roku.

Why is this relevant?

I can finally finish Westworld - but on Roku, not HBO Max.

Or...perhaps it was done this week specifically to help inoculate against some of the criticisms in that piece.

 

[Bosco685]

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Nearly half of Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders have an issue with CEO David Zaslav’s paycheck.

 

More than 40% of shareholders in the company formed last year cast votes against the media giant’s executive compensation plan at its annual meeting on Monday, according to regulatory filings submitted late Wednesday.

Zaslav, who also holds the title of president, took home $39.3 million last year, after receiving a pay package in 2021 that soared to $246 million in 2021 thanks to a hefty $203 million stock options that was tacked on to his pay. Shareholders appear to be unhappy with the pricey package he’s receiving.

 

The debt-laden company said in an SEC filing that just over half of the shareholder votes cast on the question of the 2022 executive compensation plan — commonly known as a “say on pay” vote — were in favor, while 49.2% voted against the proposal.

 

[D84]

On 5/11/2023 at 6:51 PM, Bosco685 said:

 

I don't think it's right to talk about a guy's package like that.

[Bosco685]

 

[Bosco685]

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Warner Bros. Discovery is negotiating to sell around half of the storied Warner studio’s film and TV music-publishing assets for approximately $500 million, three sources confirm to Variety. The news was first reported by Hits.

 

While it is unclear exactly which assets are on the table, one source says that the rights to “slightly less than half” of the catalog, with a price of around $500 million, are likely to go to a major label, with Sony said to be in the lead. The catalog is believed to include music from such films as “Purple Rain,” “Evita,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Rent” several “Batman” films and many more titles, as well as songs included in films such as “As Time Goes By” from “Casablanca” — iconic titles to be sure, but again, it is unclear exactly which rights are in play. Top attorney Allen Grubman is said to be overseeing the deal for Warner Discovery CEO David Zaslav.

 

However, some observers cast a skeptical eye on the deal, saying that many of the company’s assets are more than a half-century old and are “declining” in value and difficult to exploit. They are said to consist largely of film themes and cues — with comparatively few conventional songs — that would seem to have little familiarity or resonance in the present or future. The catalog is currently under a multi-year administration deal with Universal Music Publishing.

 

[Bosco685]

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Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA boss Priya Dogra is leaving the company after almost 14 years.

 

Dogra, a well-respected industry veteran, served as president and managing director of EMEA since the 2022 merger of Discovery and WarnerMedia, having previously held a similar role for WarnerMedia that also covered Asia, excluding China.

 

Based in London, Dogra has been responsible for integrating and operating the Discovery and WarnerMedia International orgs across the region. Going forward, Variety understands that the company’s EMEA leadership will report directly into Gerhard Zeiler, Warner Bros. Discovery president of international.

 

 

[D84]

On 8/8/2023 at 5:29 PM, Bosco685 said:

 

 

EMEA?

[Bosco685]

On 8/8/2023 at 7:15 PM, D84 said:

EMEA?

Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)

She is also the WB executive that made the announcement about Zack Snyder's Justice League