Warner Bros. Discovery 2023 Upfront Takeaways: Zaslav Sits This One Out, Talent Shifts from Stage to Screen and Max Is the Real Star

variety.com:

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery kicked off its 2023 upfront presentation in a no-frills way, with an overall brand sizzle and ad chief Jon Steinlauf giving a few remarks on stage at the Theater at Madison Square Garden Wednesday.

While the presentation covering HBO, Max, CNN, Food Network, HGTV, Discovery and more Warner Bros. Discovery brands was shorter than last year’s show (which was the company’s first since the merger that created it last April) the tight 90-minute presentation still covered each of its key divisions.

Albeit, with much less sizzle, with no stars in attendance amid the writers strike. “Let me just start by saying I am hopeful that a fair resolution is found soon with the writers,” HBO and Max chief Casey Bloys said, adding that he hopes for a return of talent to the stage, “making this a far more entertaining show” compared to “me and my clips.” See Variety‘s top takeaways from the Warner Bros.

Discovery 2023 upfront below. No Talent, Just the Bosses As Variety reported earlier this week, no talent was expected to make in-person appearances at the advertiser-focused event due to the writers strike.