Warner Bros. Discovery Vet Robert Blair Leaving Studio as Part of “Necessary Structural Change”
Warner Bros. Discovery’s president of international TV distribution Robert Blair is set to leave the company after 25 years as part of another round of restructuring for the studio’s international arm.
In an internal memo seen by The Hollywood Reporter WBD’s president of international Gerhard Zeiler announced that Blair would be exiting and also that his post, which he was promoted to in 2019, would not be replaced.
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“Last year, we unveiled a new org structure for international, which we believed best positioned us for success at that time. But we also acknowledged that in an ever-changing industry and market, we would need to continue to evolve in a thoughtful and strategic way, along with the climate around us,” he said.
“Seven months into 2023, although we remain confident about our trajectory as a business, we are at another inflection point, and one where the global economy has not rebounded as quickly as we had hoped.”
The departure of Blair, he said, came after “much deliberation,” but was a “necessary structural change to our team design that both flattens and streamlines the content licensing organization.”
Zeiler thanked Blair for his |outstanding leadership, talent and effort to help us get where we are today,” asserting that his contribution to the company over 25 years had been “outstanding and can be measured in several billions of dollars of sales-contracts he made possible every single year.”
He added: “Despite being known as tough negotiator, he is respected by all of his clients he dealt with. He is also an exceptional leader, who mentored many talents within the company and is admired and valued by his team.”
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