David Zaslav, Hollywood’s Hottest Power Player

In February, Zaslav texted AT&T Inc. CEO John Stankey to express his disappointment that they wouldn’t see each other at a golf tournament that had been canceled because of the pandemic. The executives kept talking, however, and the conversation shifted to how their businesses could complement each other. In May they unveiled a plan to combine Discovery with AT&T’s entertainment unit, WarnerMedia. Assuming regulators approve it, the deal will create an even larger media behemoth, with cable channels, a movie studio, and two streaming services (Discovery+, HBO Max), uniting the broadcaster of 90 Day Fiancé and Property Brothers with the company behind Succession and the Batman movies. And it turns Zaslav, who will run the newly named Warner Bros. Discovery, into one of Hollywood’s most powerful people.

Zaslav helped start CNBC and MSNBC and had often touted Discovery’s preference for making low-cost reality shows rather than expensive dramas. Now he’ll oversee not only unscripted fare from HGTV and TLC but also HBO’s Emmy-chasing shows, with the goal of creating what he calls “the broadest, most successful direct-to-consumer platform in the world.” The merger is a sign of how focused the entertainment business is on streaming and how even the biggest media companies feel compelled to join forces to compete for subscribers with Netflix Inc. and Disney+.