Warner Bros Discovery: Big upheaval with a two -divided media empire!

Warner Bros Discovery: Big upheaval with a two -divided media empire!

Vienna, Österreich - The US media group Warner Bros Discovery plans to split into two separate companies. This was confirmed on June 9, 2025 by the strategic news. The streaming service and the film studio will act regardless of cable television in the future. Warner Bros Discovery includes prominent channels such as the payer HBO and the news channel CNN. CEO David Zaslav will take over the management of the streaming and film studio, while CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels is responsible for the station division. This structural change aims to improve the competitiveness of both corporate areas and to face the challenges of the changing media landscape, in which more and more customers switch to streaming services.

The decision to separate follows a non-smooth association of the US corporations Discovery and Warnermedia, which was characterized by internal conflicts, especially at CNN after the outline of Jeff Zucker. Zaslav already expressed doubts about the CNN+ platform, which was launched shortly after the Merger, and replaced it after only ten days. Regarding financial health, DWDL Investors to create synergies in the amount of $ three billion.

strategic realignment

The planned cost reductions could also affect the cable TV channels TNT, TBS and TrutV. Gunnar Wiedenfels, known for his ability to reduce costs, will take on a key role in the reduction in debt and criticized earlier investments by Warnermedia as "chunky" and not on a solid financial basis. Despite these challenges, Warner Bros. Discovery plans not to shorten the total edition for content in the amount of $ 23 billion in the current year. HBO Max remains an attractive platform with blockbusters such as "The Batman" and a strong series output, but is also subjected to an exam because a merger with Discovery+ is in prospect.

The first steps in this direction could include the introduction of Discovery+ in Germany in cooperation with Sky, while HBO Max's launch takes place after 2025. In the EMEA region, Gerhard Zeiler and Priya Dogra will take over the management; However, the new management structure in Germany is not yet finalized.

innovations and media trends

While Warner Bros Discovery is trying to do a new strategic direction, the media landscape continues to change. The influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on the industry is growing, especially in terms of innovations and business models. According to a presentation by Jacqueline Hoffmann from Media Network Bavaria , podcasts are becoming increasingly popular, despite digital transformation for older target groups remain relevant.

In addition, there is a change in usage behavior: younger users are increasingly accessing social media to obtain information. Innovative approaches, such as AI-generated news formats, could help prevent the so-called news deserts, while the media companies are required to orient themselves more towards the changed needs of the audience. Trust and ethical responsibility are increasingly becoming a challenge in the combination of innovation and media content.