Advanced Television

David Zaslav

‘Warner Bros. Discovery’ name for merged company

Multichannel programmer Discovery has revealed the new name of the proposed standalone global entertainment company that will emerge from the combination of WarnerMedia and Discovery assets as ‘Warner Bros. Discovery’. It suggests the Warner Bros. Discovery name will honour, celebrate and elevate the world’s most-storied creative studio in the world with the high quality, global […]

June 2, 2021

WarnerMedia, Discovery spin-off confirmed

AT&T and Discovery have confirmed an agreement to combine WarnerMedia’s  entertainment, sports and news assets with Discovery’s nonfiction and international entertainment and sports businesses to create a standalone global streaming entertainment company. Under the deal AT&T will receive $43 billion [€35.45bn] (subject to adjustment) in a combination of cash, debt securities, and will own 71 […]

May 17, 2021

AT&T: Must all telco TV end in tears?

This blog replaces one about BT trying to sell its expensively fashioned TV assets. AT&T is also bailing from TV, and its entanglement with entertainment makes BT’s foray look cheap and well-managed. While AT&T keeps a big stake, the maths isn’t appetising from their stockholder’s point of view. The new company has a proforma enterprise […]

May 17, 2021

discovery+ passes 13m paying subs

Discovery has reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31st 2021. David Zaslav, President and Chief Executive Officer of Discovery, commented: “The global rollout of discovery+ is off to a fantastic start by any measure. Key metrics, including subscriber additions, customer engagement, and retention, are exceeding our expectations and demonstrating sustained momentum into the […]

April 28, 2021

discovery+ nears 12m paying subs

Discovery, the multichannel programmer, has reported financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31st 2020. Total revenues for 2020 were $10.6 billion (€8.7bn), down 4 per cent. US advertising revenues decreased 5 per cent and distribution revenues increased 4 per cent (or increased 3 per cent excluding certain non-recurring items recognised in the […]

February 22, 2021

discovery+ launching in Jan

Multichannel programmer Discovery has revealed details of its SVoD service, discovery+. Declaring the day to be “very special and historic” for the company, President and CEO David Zaslav confirmed the global launch of what it calls a “definitive” non-fiction, real-life subscription streaming service, debuting in the US on January 4th, 2021. The new service will […]

December 3, 2020By Colin Mann

Discovery pivots to D2C, slams T-Mobile

David Zaslav says Discovery’s international streaming service will be fully unveiled in December. The Discovery CEO says the service will be “differentiated” from others such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, with originals, local sport and news content among the plans. Zaslav told investors the streamer’s offering had now “come into clear focus […] We have […]

November 6, 2020

Discovery “cautiously optimistic” despite decreased revenue

Multichannel programmer Discovery has reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30th 2020. Total revenues of $2.54 billion (€2.14bn) decreased 12 per cent compared to the prior year quarter. US distribution revenues increased 7 per cent, or increased 2 per cent excluding certain non-recurring items, and advertising revenues decreased 14 per cent. International distribution […]

August 5, 2020