Andy Forssell: Last News

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterBrett Weitz is exiting as general manager of TBS, TNT and truTV, Variety has learned.Weitz, who was appointed to the role in January 2019, was among the group of WarnerMedia execs that came over under the new David Zaslav-selected regime at Warner Bros. Discovery, following the close of the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger in early April.Weitz was moved under Discovery lifestyle channels chief Kathleen Finch, who assumed a newly created role of chairman and chief content officer of U.S.

Another top Warner exec, John Rogovin, is heading for the exits amid a major corporate shakeout following the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery last month.

now officially merged WarnerMedia and Discovery will open for business as Warner Bros. Discovery Monday.While little is known about the future of the new company, it’s clear what valuable brands, IP, executives and customers they will each be bringing to the table on their first day as a combined entity.Founded in 1985, Discovery, Inc.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDiscovery completed its $43 billion acquisition of WarnerMedia from AT&T on Friday to form new company Warner Bros. Discovery.WarnerMedia owns HBO, HBO Max, CNN, Warner Bros., DC Films, New Line Cinema, TBS, TNT, TruTV, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, Turner Sports and Rooster Teeth, among other brands, and is part owner of the CW Network along with Paramount.Discovery is the parent of Discovery Plus, Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, Turbo/Velocity, Animal Planet, Science Channel and OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network).Here is the new leadership structure for Warner Bros.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWarnerMedia and Discovery are on the cusp of officially closing their deal. With the change in leadership at the new Warner Bros. Discovery, will there be pricing changes for the new conglomerate’s flagship HBO Max streaming service?Insiders say there aren’t any immediate plans to alter HBO Max’s pricing scheme — in the U.S., it currently costs $14.99/month without ads, the same as it did when the service debuted in May 2020, and $9.99/month with ads.Similarly, it’s likely that Discovery Plus will remain at $6.99/month without ads and $4.99/month with ads for the time being.

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

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.

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.

WarnerMedia’s top leadership invited Variety to the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank for an open-ended conversation about where the company is headed as regulators scrutinize its planned merger with Discovery Inc.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorNews and sports will definitely have a place in the world of streaming, but may require new formats and programming concepts to make them fit the needs of modern audiences, according to the executive who oversees WarnerMedia’s HBO Max.News and sports programming are a significant factor in keeping consumers tethered to cable and satellite subscriptions in an era rife with cord-cutting, said Andy Forssell, general manager of HBO Max, while speaking Thursday at an investor conference hosted by Barclays.

Warner Bros.' shock announcement this week that it will bow all its 2021 titles — including blockbusters such as Matrix 4, Dune, and Suicide Squad — simultaneously in theaters and on its streaming platform HBO Max in the U.S. has left exhibitors outside America scrambling to keep up.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorThe broad restructuring at WarnerMedia is a “natural progression” for the media conglomerate to hone its focus on HBO Max, according to John Stephens, AT&T’s chief financial officer.WarnerMedia laid off hundreds of employees Monday across Warner Bros., HBO and DC Entertainment. That came after a major management shakeup under new CEO Jason Kilar, under which HBO Max content leaders Robert Greenblatt and Kevin Reilly were let go and Warner Bros.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorLayoffs got under way Monday at WarnerMedia, with about 600 staffers departing the company, sources told Deadline.The reductions follow major changes announced late Friday by WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar.Advocating a shift toward consumer-facing operations and away from wholesale, he unveiled a new executive structure. The new setup expands the purview of former Warner Bros chief Ann Sarnoff, HBO programming boss Casey Bloys and WarnerMedia direct-to-consumer head Andy Forssell.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVWarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar shook up the top ranks at the AT&T-owned media company today, consolidating all film, TV and streaming content under Warner Bros.’ Ann Sarnoff. The sweeping restructuring includes expanded responsibilities for HBO Max’s Andy Forssell and HBO’s Casey Bloys and the exit of top WarnerMedia/HBO Max executives Bob Greenblatt, Kevin Reilly and Keith Cocozza.Like with any major consolidation, there will be a ripple effect.