David Zaslav hasn’t wasted time in making significant changes at Warner Bros Discovery, and many on this side of the Atlantic are now wondering what happens in the international ranks, where the combined studios have thousands of staff.
As with any merger, speculation is rife. The expectation among studio executives we speak to in Europe is that there will be streamlining in local international offices. Reorganization is surely a given. One well-connected source said it was possible Discovery could leave the factual giant’s longtime international base in Chiswick, West London, something that has been rumored for a while anyway. Warner Bros moved its Turner staff to a sparkly new office in Old Street on the other side of town in 2019 and also has offices in central London. “That’s the obvious thing they could do to save money,” the source said.
How aggressive will the combined company be in grabbing space in the lucrative international sports arena? Discovery is home to pan-European French TV network Eurosport, which has a bevvy of sports rights including the Olympics. Earlier this year, Discovery entered talks to combine Eurosport’s UK business with popular sports broadcaster BT Sport in the UK and Ireland. BT Sport is the current UK home of the lucrative UEFA Champions League and a dozens of Premier League soccer matches.
The structure included Adam Presser overseeing China, Australia and New Zealand; Whit Richardson running Latin America; and Priya Dogra overseeing Europe, the Middle East, Africa and much of Asia. WarnerMedia’s Dogra – a streaming services expert who sources say Zeiler sees as something of a protégé – and Discovery President and MD for EMEA Kasia Kieli are both considered strong operators and are likely to be key players in the future shape of the combined studios.
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Sounds good to me! Good luck to Priya Droga, she's doing a fantastic job and is a great asset for WBD! RestoreTheSnyderVerse ZackSnydersJusticeLeague
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