# David M. Zaslav
> President and Chief Executive Officer at warner bros discovery
- Profile type: Person
- Profile status: baseline
- Last updated: 2026-05-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Canonical URL: https://thestateofstreaming.com/people/david-zaslav/
- Also known as: David M. Zaslav, Dave Zaslav, Zaslav, WBD CEO
## Summary
David Zaslav is President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD), a role he has held since the April 2022 Discovery–WarnerMedia merger close. On April 23, 2026, WBD shareholders approved the Paramount Skydance acquisition while rejecting Zaslav's up-to-$886M merger pay package by an 82% advisory vote — the third consecutive year of shareholder compensation pushback under his tenure.

## Profile facts

- Current title: President and Chief Executive Officer
- Current company: warner bros discovery (https://thestateofstreaming.com/companies/warner-bros-discovery/)


## Career trajectory

- 1989-01-01 — Joined NBC (legal and business affairs; later Cable and Domestic TV and New Media Distribution) at nbcuniversal. Helped develop and launch CNBC and MSNBC; oversaw NBC's cable and satellite carriage and content distribution.
- 2007-01-01 — President and Chief Executive Officer at discovery-communications. Took over Discovery Communications in early 2007; led 2008 IPO and 2018 Scripps Networks Interactive acquisition.
- 2021-05-17 — Named CEO-designate of Discovery–WarnerMedia combination at warner-bros-discovery. AT&T and Discovery announced the spin-merger on May 17, 2021, with Zaslav set to lead the combined company.
- 2022-04-08 — President and Chief Executive Officer at warner-bros-discovery. Discovery and AT&T's WarnerMedia merger closed April 8, 2022; combined company began trading as WBD on Nasdaq on April 11.

_This page uses only public-professional information — executive roles, company-disclosed compensation, on-the-record statements, and publicly filed documents. No personal, family, or non-professional details are included. No AI-generated portrait is used._

## Key facts

- Zaslav has been President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery since the April 8, 2022 close of the Discovery–WarnerMedia merger. — Warner Bros. Discovery Investor Relations: https://ir.wbd.com/news-and-events/financial-news/financial-news-details/2022/Combination-of-Discovery-and-WarnerMedia-Creates-Warner-Bros.-Discovery-Global-Leader-in-Entertainment-and-Streaming/default.aspx
- He served as President and CEO of Discovery Communications (later Discovery, Inc.) from January 2007 through the WBD combination, leading the company's 2008 IPO and 2018 acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive for $14.6 billion. — Warner Bros. Discovery — Leadership: https://www.wbd.com/leadership/david-zaslav
- Zaslav joined NBC in 1989 and rose to President of Cable and Domestic TV and New Media Distribution, where he helped develop and launch CNBC and MSNBC before leaving for Discovery. — Warner Bros. Discovery — Leadership: https://www.wbd.com/leadership/david-zaslav
- WBD launched the Max streaming service on May 23, 2023, consolidating HBO Max and discovery+ into a single flagship product under Zaslav's strategy. — Warner Bros. Discovery press release: https://www.wbd.com/warner-bros-discovery-unveils-max-streaming-service-launching-may-23
- WBD shareholders approved the Paramount Skydance acquisition of WBD on April 23, 2026, with 1,742,843,087 votes for, 16,260,135 against, and 2,371,121 abstaining of 1,761,474,343 shares represented (~99% of votes cast in favor). — Warner Bros. Discovery — Stockholder Approval Release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/warner-bros-discovery-stockholders-approve-transaction-with-paramount-skydance-302751921.html
- At the same April 23, 2026 special meeting, the advisory Item 5.07 vote on merger-related named-executive-officer compensation failed by 1,444,387,748 against to 307,742,302 for — an approximately 82% rejection. — Warner Bros. Discovery — Stockholder Approval Release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/warner-bros-discovery-stockholders-approve-transaction-with-paramount-skydance-302751921.html
- Zaslav's merger-related package totals up to $886 million if the Paramount transaction closes, including $34.2 million cash severance, $517.2 million in equity in the combined company, $44,195 in continued health-coverage reimbursement, and up to $335 million in tax-gross-up reimbursement on accelerated stock vesting. — Variety: https://variety.com/2026/film/news/warner-bros-discovery-paramount-shareholder-approval-zaslav-pay-package-1236727798/
- Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) recommended against the merger-related pay package, calling it a "windfall" in its proxy report ahead of the April 23, 2026 vote. — Variety (citing ISS proxy report): https://variety.com/2026/film/news/david-zaslav-golden-parachute-windfall-payout-paramount-deal-iss-shareholders-1236712564/
- WBD shareholders rejected Zaslav's 2024 say-on-pay package of $51.9 million by a roughly 60% margin (1,063,214,128 against to 724,453,004 for) at the company's 2025 annual meeting. — The Hollywood Reporter: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/warner-bros-discovery-shareholders-reject-pay-david-zaslav-1236254624/
- At WBD's 2024 annual meeting, the 2023 say-on-pay vote on Zaslav's $39.3 million package passed narrowly, with about 54% of votes cast in favor. — The Hollywood Reporter: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/warner-bros-discovery-shareholders-reject-pay-david-zaslav-1236254624/
- The April 23, 2026 advisory compensation vote is non-binding under Dodd-Frank Section 951 (Item 5.07) — payouts proceed at the WBD board's discretion if the merger closes. — Variety: https://variety.com/2026/film/news/warner-bros-discovery-paramount-shareholder-approval-zaslav-pay-package-1236727798/


## Related

- warner bros discovery (President and CEO) — https://thestateofstreaming.com/companies/warner-bros-discovery/
- paramount skydance (Counterparty in pending acquisition of WBD) — https://thestateofstreaming.com/companies/paramount-skydance/
- jb perrette (Direct report (CEO, Global Streaming and Games)) — https://thestateofstreaming.com/people/jb-perrette/
- david ellison (Counterpart CEO at Paramount Skydance) — https://thestateofstreaming.com/people/david-ellison/


## External coverage

- Warner Bros. Discovery: David Zaslav — Leadership Bio (https://www.wbd.com/leadership/david-zaslav)
- 2022-04-08 — Warner Bros. Discovery Investor Relations: Combination of Discovery and WarnerMedia Creates Warner Bros. Discovery (https://ir.wbd.com/news-and-events/financial-news/financial-news-details/2022/Combination-of-Discovery-and-WarnerMedia-Creates-Warner-Bros.-Discovery-Global-Leader-in-Entertainment-and-Streaming/default.aspx)
- 2026-04-23 — Warner Bros. Discovery (via PR Newswire): Warner Bros. Discovery Stockholders Approve Transaction with Paramount Skydance (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/warner-bros-discovery-stockholders-approve-transaction-with-paramount-skydance-302751921.html)
- 2026-04-23 — Variety: Warner Bros. Discovery Shareholders Overwhelmingly Approve Paramount Megadeal, but Vote Against Exit Pay Packages (https://variety.com/2026/film/news/warner-bros-discovery-paramount-shareholder-approval-zaslav-pay-package-1236727798/)
- 2026-04-08 — Fortune: Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav's $887 million golden parachute gets ripped by proxy advisory firm ISS (https://fortune.com/2026/04/08/warner-bros-discovery-david-zaslav-887-million-golden-parachute-iss/)
- 2026-04-23 — Deadline: WBD Shareholders Reject David Zaslav's Golden Parachute In Merger (https://deadline.com/2026/04/wbd-shareholders-reject-david-zaslav-paramount-merger-payout-1236869504/)
- 2025-06-03 — The Hollywood Reporter: Warner Bros. Discovery Shareholders Reject David Zaslav's $51.9 Million Pay (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/warner-bros-discovery-shareholders-reject-pay-david-zaslav-1236254624/)
- 2023-04-12 — Warner Bros. Discovery: Warner Bros. Discovery Unveils Max Streaming Service, Launching May 23 (https://www.wbd.com/warner-bros-discovery-unveils-max-streaming-service-launching-may-23)

## Profile
## Why this profile exists

Zaslav sits at the center of the largest pending consolidation in U.S. media: Paramount Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, approved by WBD shareholders on April 23, 2026. The same vote produced the largest shareholder rebuke of a named-executive-officer compensation package in Big-Media history — an 82% advisory rejection of his up-to-$886 million merger-related package — and the third consecutive year of escalating shareholder pushback on his pay (54% approval in 2024 on 2023 comp; ~60% rejection in 2025 on 2024 comp; ~82% rejection in 2026 on the merger package). The vote is non-binding under Dodd-Frank Section 951, so payouts proceed at the WBD board's discretion if the deal closes.

## The compensation-vote arc, on the record

The three-vote escalation is the through-line of Zaslav's tenure as a public-company CEO under post-2022 WBD governance:

- **2024 annual meeting (2023 pay of $39.3M):** roughly 54% of votes cast in favor — a narrow win flagged at the time by governance analysts as a warning shot.
- **2025 annual meeting (2024 pay of $51.9M, up 4.4%):** approximately 60% of shares voted against, with 1,063,214,128 against and 724,453,004 for. Symbolic, non-binding; the package stood.
- **2026 special meeting (merger-related compensation, up to $886M):** 1,444,387,748 against and 307,742,302 for — an approximately 82% rejection. ISS had urged rejection in its proxy report, calling the package a "windfall."

Each vote is reported in WBD's subsequent Form 8-K under Item 5.07 (Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders), the SEC reporting requirement that makes these tallies public.

## Coverage on this site

- [WBD shareholders approve Paramount merger 99-1 — but reject Zaslav's $886M parachute by 82%](/business-deals/2026/04/wbd-paramount-shareholder-vote/)
- [WBD-Paramount merger followups: governance fallout from the parachute vote](/business-deals/2026/04/wbd-paramount-merger-followups/)
## Coverage on The State of Streaming
- [Paramount Skydance Pays Ellison and Outgoing President $124M as WBD Holders Reject Zaslav Parachute](https://thestateofstreaming.com/business-deals/2026/04/wbd-paramount-merger-followups/) — 2026-04-26
- [WBD Shareholders Approve Paramount Merger 99% to 1%](https://thestateofstreaming.com/business-deals/2026/04/wbd-paramount-shareholder-vote/) — 2026-04-25

## Tags

- executive
- ceo
- media
- streaming
- warner-bros-discovery
- mergers-and-acquisitions

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