Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav Positions Merged Company As Fifth Broadcast Network, Skips Any Talk Of Streaming – Upfronts

deadline.com:

David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, proclaimed the merged company as essentially the fifth broadcast network, and repeated his vow that the company would overcome any skepticism about its prospects.“I’m highly confident in our ability to thrive both creatively and financially,” he said. “Simply stated, we have the content that viewers want.”Dropping names as is his wont, Zaslav mentioned the original Warner brothers, who founded the movie studio almost a century ago, as well as John Malone, Ted Turner and Steve Ross.

One other name he cited was a bit more unexpected: Rupert Murdoch. Three decades ago, Zaslav recalled, Murdoch put the fledgling Fox broadcast network on the map by acquiring rights to the NFL.Today, he maintained, Discovery has more reach to viewers aged 25 to 54 than any of the four major networks.

bigger audience among 25-54 than any of the four broadcast networks.Notably, Zaslav didn’t mention anything about streaming services HBO Max or Discovery+, even though both have been taking advertising since last year.

Instead, he focused on the legacy of Warner Bros and the potential of the combination with Discovery, nodding to CNN and affirming he wouldn’t let it drift into rival cable news outlet’s “yelling and “advocacy.” Instead, he added, “we’re going to advocate for journalism.”Summing up, he said, “This really is a moment, for us as a company but also for our industry.CEOs haven’t traditionally delivered remarks at upfronts, which are more the domain of sales and programming execs, though Disney CEO Bob Chapek took the stage yesterday at Disney’s event.