Discovery Board Dinged By Shareholder Advisory Firm For “Poor Stewardship” On CEO Pay

Gemma Atkinson, 37, shared a hilarious video from her morning workout on Friday as she joked her “camel toe bagged” fiancé Gorka Marquez.The Strictly Come Dancing runner-up made the funny statement as she trained at her indoor gym sporting workout gear from her In The Style range.The former Hollyoaks actress filmed herself dancing to Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation in view of her 1.7 million Instagram followers.Gemma gave Janet’s iconic choreography her best attempt and couldn’t help but poke fun at herself.She wrote: “It was these moves, facials and camel toe that bagged me Gorka.“He couldn’t resist!”In a follow-up clip, Gemma told fans she had to turn her music off because it was distracting her away from the workout.She said: “I’ve had to turn the music off, I can’t train with it on.“I’ve got too many sick tunes, it’s making me not want to train.“I’m not getting anything done, no, train in silence to get the work done!”She went on to say that she did put her music back on but resorted to “cheesy stuff” that didn’t make her want to dance.Her “cheesy” playlist included Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins, Hearts On Fire by John Cafferty and I Want It All by Queen.It comes after Gemma made a candid admission about her relationship with Gorka on last week’s Lorraine.Chatting to guest host Christine Lampard, Gemma opened up about raising their young daughter, Mia.Having recently wrapped up his Firedance tour with Karen Hauer, Gemma admitted that he “wanted to be home” rather than on the road.The actress said: “It was Giovanni [Pernice], he texted me and said, 'Gorka has not been himself, I am just letting you know.'"And I Facetimed him and they were all out one night, the lads, and he was in a hotel on his own."And he just got

Sofia Richie, the model and social media influencer daughter of beloved singer and American Idol host Lionel Richie, is set to become someone’s wife. The 23-year-old and youngest child of the “All Night Long” crooner shared the news this week of the sweet proposal put on by her beau, music executive Elliot Grainge. She captioned the photo of Grainge down one knee at sunset in Hawaii, “Forever isn’t long enough.” A post shared by Sofia Richie (@sofiarichie)The couple have reportedly been dating for a year and went Instagram official last March.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterWarner Bros. Discovery is not going with the “initial wordmark” revealed last June as its official logo.Variety has obtained a low-res copy of a new logo that is being circulated on internal memos at Discovery and WarnerMedia Friday, ahead of the expected close of the merger transaction later today.Discovery did not immediately respond to request for comment on the Warner Bros.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaAs Discovery closes its deal for WarnerMedia, John Stankey, the AT&T chief who oversaw the telecom company’s abandoned foray into the media world, bid farewell to his soon-to-be former colleagues. Stankey led AT&T’s acquisition of DirecTV and Time Warner in 2015 and 2018, before replacing Randall Stephenson as CEO role of AT&T in July 2020.“My respect and appreciation for those I have worked closely with is enduring, and I will miss continuing to learn and problem solve with you,” Stankey wrote.

The hello tour for the Discovery and WarnerMedia merger is set to begin as early as Monday, Deadline hears, with multiple meet and greets planned across the country that will culminate with a town hall later in the week.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterChip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network will move under HBO’s purview upon the completion of Discovery’s acquisition of WarnerMedia, which will result in the launch of Warner Bros. Discovery Monday, Variety has learned exclusively.Allison Page, president of Magnolia, which is a joint venture between the Gaineses and Discovery, Inc., will report directly to HBO and HBO Max chief Casey Bloys.

Ahead of tomorrow’s expected close of the $43 billion WarnerMedia-Discovery merger, the executive leadership structure of the new company has been set.

As Discovery and WarnerMedia are set to close their $43B merger later this week, the attention has been focused mainly on the deal’s ramifications for WarnerMedia’s movie and scripted television businesses. There’s been much industry chatter about the importance of Casey Bloys’ scripted television empire and whether Toby Emmerich continues to oversee The Batman film studio.

David Zaslav will have a tight grip on the operations of Warner Bros. Discovery under the management structure unveiled for the new company that is set to emerge on Monday, Variety has learned.Zaslav, as longtime observers predicted, has opted to have a direct-report relationship with the leaders of the businesses he doesn’t know as well as he does cable channels and advertising sales, per individuals close to the situation.

EXCLUSIVE, UPDATED WITH MORE DETAILS: Less than 24 hours after CEO Jason Kilar, HBO Max boss Andy Forssell and Studio chief Ann Sarnoff were pink slipped from the about to disappear WarnerMedia, more executives were shown the door today.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDiscovery is cleaning house among the top ranks at WarnerMedia ahead of the close of the two companies’ merger, which is expected to occur Friday, with six more executives shown the door Wednesday, Variety has learned.According to a WarnerMedia spokesperson, the newly cut WarnerMedia players include: Jennifer Biry – Chief Financial Officer, Jim Cummings – EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer; Tony Goncalves – EVP, Chief Revenue Officer; Christy Haubegger – EVP, Communications and Chief Inclusion Officer;  Jim Meza – EVP, General Counsel, WarnerMedia; and Richard Tom – Chief Technology Officer.Notably remaining with the soon-to-be-combined company, which will be renamed Warner Bros. Discovery and run by current Discovery CEO David Zaslav, is Gerhard Zeiler, president of WarnerMedia International, a source close to the internal leadership changes confirmed to Variety.

In a bloodbath Tuesday at WarnerMedia before the Discovery merger, add HBO Max Head Andy Forssell to the list of exiting executives. He joins WarnerMedia studios and networks group chairman and CEO Ann Sarnoff and WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar.

HBO Max executive vice president and general manager Andy Forssell is leaving WarnerMedia ahead of the close of the company’s merger with Discovery, which is now set to close as early as Friday, Variety has learned.News that Forssell is out the door comes just as sources confirmed WarnerMedia studios and networks group chairman and CEO Ann Sarnoff was informed on Tuesday by leadership that her position would be eliminated, and follows WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar’s resignation this morning.As Variety reported earlier Tuesday, though insiders previously said the transaction between Discovery and WarnerMedia’s current owner AT&T would be formally completed on April 11, leading to the creation of new company Warner Bros. Discovery, two sources with knowledge of the situation say the merger is now expected to potentially be finalized by the close of business Friday.

Ann Sarnoff, who has held a senior film and TV studio role at WarnerMedia for nearly three years, is departing the company ahead of its merger with Discovery.

WarnerMedia studios and networks group chairman and CEO Ann Sarnoff is exiting her post, sources tell Variety.Sarnoff was informed by leadership on Tuesday that her position would be eliminated, one insider said. The ground is shifting rapidly for executives and other divisions at the media giant as it nears completion of its merger with Discovery.“I want to thank Ann for all of her leadership during a transformational period for the company and our industry. She has been a passionate and committed steward of the world’s most formidable creative engine and has led with integrity, focus and hard work in bringing WarnerMedia’s businesses, brands and workforce closer together,” said David Zaslav, the incoming CEO of the merged Warner Bros.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterThe Discovery-WarnerMedia merger could close as early as Friday, Variety has learned exclusively.Previously, insiders said the transaction between Discovery and WarnerMedia’s current owner AT&T would be formally completed on April 11. On Tuesday, amid WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar formally announcing his exit timed to the rapidly approaching close of the formation of Warner Bros.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterAs Discovery and WarnerMedia leaders go full throttle on final merger preparation for the anticipated April 8 closing date, the industry is eager to learn how Warner Bros., HBO and the former Turner cable networks will exist alongside Discovery’s large portfolio of global channels and content operations.The formal tying-of-the-knot can’t come soon enough for executives, staff, creatives and talent at both companies, who also are still largely in the dark about potential structural changes, management shifts and strategic pivots.On Tuesday morning, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar announced that he would be stepping down ahead of the merger. Besides that, there’s a rudimentary “initial wordmark” logo for Warner Bros.

Jason Kilar, the former Hulu and Amazon exec who has led WarnerMedia as CEO since May 2020, has formalized plans to exit the company on the eve of its merger with Discovery.

Andy Jassy, a longtime Amazon exec who became the company’s CEO last summer, made $212.7 million in total compensation in 2021, according to an SEC filing.

Bob Chapek, the Disney CEO who is under siege, hopefully does not watch much TV. If he does, he’ll see a succession of fellow CEOs who seem prone to self-destruction — Adam Neumann of WeWork, Travis Kalanick of Uber, Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos, etc. — portrayed on buzzy TV series. Viewing these shows back to back, the stolid Chapek might wonder whether the CEO is extinct as a folk hero.

AT&T has firmed up more details of its spinoff of WarnerMedia, which is poised to combine with Discovery in a $43 billion merger.