David Zaslav, CEO of troubled Warner Bros. Discovery, got a 27% increase in total compensation for 2023.
According to the company’s proxy statement, Zaslav was paid $49.7 million, including $3 million in salary, $23.1 million in stock awards and $22 million in non-equity incentive plans compensation. He received $39.3 million in 2022.
Under Zaslav, Warner Bros. Discovery has been trying to pay down the debt it rolled up in the acquisition of WarnerMedia from AT&T.
If there’s a change in control at Warner Bros. Discovery, Zaslav gets $182.4 million, according to the proxy statement. He got $246.6 million in compensation in 2021, including options granted before the WarnerMedia acquisition.
Warner Bros. Discovery reported a $3.1 billion loss for 2023. Nevertheless, the company’s stock was up for the year, rising from $9.48 at the end of 2022 to $11.38 at the end of 2023. Either way, it’s a far cry from the $24 a share the stock traded for in August of 2022.
Warner Bros. Discovery reported a $3.1 billion loss for 2023.
Other top Warner Bros. Discovery executives also saw raises in 2023. Jean-Briac Perrette, CEO of global streaming and games, received $20.1 million, up from $14.1 million the year before; Bruce Campbell got $18.3 million, up from $13.7 million; and chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels got $17.1 million, up from $11.3 million.
