Reports of Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav‘s salary package has been revealed for 2022 and the numbers show a staggering decline from the year prior.
According to Variety, a Securities and Exchange Commission filing had WBD state the total compensation package of their CEO. In 2022, Zaslav only made $39.3 million USD, with $3.1 million USD from his salary. The other portion of his compensation was awarded from stocks and non-equity incentive plans. The number, while still large compared to an average income, saw Zaslav’s pay decline significantly from 2021.
In 2021, Zaslav earned a staggering $246.6 million USD for his compensation package due to an unprecedented $203 million USD stock option. Previously in 2020, Zaslav earned $37.7 million USD. Additionally, the information disclosed by WBD stated other execs’ compensations including CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels who earned $13.5 million USD compared to $11.3 million USD in 2021, chief revenue and strategy officer Bruce Campbell earning $13.7 million USD versus $12.6 million USD and more. It appears that everyone has received a declining salary compensation.
The declining salary is in response to WBD’s extreme pressure to lower its debt and cut staff levels. With the changes in WBD exec compensation, WBD board chairman Samuel A. Di Piazza, Jr. said in a statement, “The WBD board is confident that these additional incentives offer a more competitive package against the backdrop of ongoing industry-wide transformation and economic headwinds, and better position the company to advance core drivers of shareholder value.”
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