Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav Earned $39.3 Million in 2022

Scott Mendelson
·2 min read

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav received $39.3 million as compensation for his work overseeing the newly merged Discovery-Warner Media empire last year. That’s the pay package disclosed in a regulatory filing the company made Wednesday, which also disclosed 2022 salaries for other top executives.

Then-Discovery CEO Zaslav was given a package worth $246 million in 2021, a massive upswing from $37.7 million in 2020 and $45.8 million in 2019.

CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels received $13.5 million, up from $11.3 million in 2021. Chief revenue and strategy office Bruce L. Campbell earned $13.7 million, an increase from $12.6 million last year. Jean-Briac Perrette, WBD’s global streaming and games CEO and president, earned $14 million — up from $13.4 million in 2021. And WBD international president Gerhard Zeiler earned about $10.3 million for 2022. Zeiler, who held the role of international president for WarnerMedia, added Discovery’s global enterprise to his portfolio in the newly merged company last year.

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After a year defined by cost-cutting, including precedent-smashing decisions to shelve nearly completed films like “Batgirl” and remove streaming originals from the HBO Max service, the Warner Bros. Discovery board signaled through its executive compensation plans that boosting cash flow should be a focus for 2023.

That includes theatrical releases for its feature films like “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” and “Evil Dead Rise” and third-party licensing for its television and streaming content like “Lovecraft Country” and “The Nevers.” There’s no word on how much Amazon paid to get the first two seasons of “Batman: Caped Crusader,” but it was likely a lot more than it would have generated as a high-profile HBO Max original.

Warner Bros. Discovery stock closed Wednesday at $14.66 per share, up 1%. The stock has risen 54% so far this year.

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