Massive Layoffs At Warner. WB, HBO, DC Comics, Affected.

[RAMROD 96,175]

So, WarnerMedia that is now owned by AT&T, have started their moves to restructure the company. Reports below:

 

WarnerMedia has begun a round of layoffs with the entertainment giant letting go hundreds of staffers as part of a company-wide restructuring. Sources say the first wave of layoffs is expected to be around 600+ staffers, with a heavy focus at Warner Bros. 

Impacted staffers begun being informed about the cuts at roughly 10:30 a.m. PT. Approximately 650 people at Warner Bros. are expected to be let go, according to people familiar with the matter, while HBO will cut 150 and 175 staffers.

The laid off employees include Warner Bros. CFO Kim Williams, Warner Bros.  The president of Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution. Ron Sanders, who served as president of Warner Bros.’ worldwide theatrical distribution and home entertainment as well as executive vice president of international business operations. Worldwide Television Distribution president Jeff Schlesinger and Ron Sanders, Warner Bros. president, Worldwide Theatrical Distribution & Home Entertainment and Executive Vice President, International Business Operations.

Schlesinger had been with Warner Bros. for over three decades. For a decade starting in 1984, he served as senior vice president of international television distribution at Warner Bros. and at Lorimar Telepictures, which was acquired by Warner Bros. in 1990. Schlesinger then went on to become president of Warner Bros. International Television in 1994 before assuming his most recent role as the head of distribution in 2013.

The pink slips were handed out in departments encompassing film and TV and come in the aftermath of a major restructuring at the company that saw WarnerMedia Entertainment and direct to consumer chairman Bob Greenblatt and content chief and TBS, TNT and TruTV president Kevin Reilly ousted last week. The cuts also follow a series of Hollywood layoffs and furloughs that have affected agencies like CAA and Endeavor and such studios as Universal, Disney and Lionsgate.

The changes arrive as WarnerMedia, under new CEO Jason Kilar, is putting its newly launched streamer HBO Max front and center. As well as a move to consolidate WarnerMedia’s production operations into a single entity. 

The restructuring comes as legacy media companies continue to make major executive suite changes amid a landscape that increasingly places streaming as the top priority. The hope is that the changes will streamline the business and help with WarnerMedia’s new emphasis on HBO Max, its new streaming service and Netflix challenger.

Warner Bros.’ DC Entertainment was one of the divisions hard hit by the companywide layoffs on Monday.

The high-profile DC departures include Bob Harras, DC Editor-In-Chief; Hank Kanalz, SVP Publishing Strategy & Support Services; Bobbie Chase, VP, Global Publishing Initiatives & Digital Strategy; Brian Cunningham, senior story editor Deadline has confirmed. Warner Bros. is not commenting. Jim Lee remains DC Chief Creative Officer.

Also impacted is Warner Bros.’ DC Universe. Once a high-flying unit that was designed to usher Warner Bros. into the streaming world, the digital platform’s original slate has been dwindling since WarnerMedia announced the launch of HBO Max following the acquisition by AT&T. As a result, DC Universe has been focusing on its core business of DC comic book and news content for fans. The DC Comics layoffs also impacted DC Universe in its evolved function as a fandom destination.

DC Universe has only one exclusive original series, Titans; Doom Patrol is now shared with HBO Max.

The cutbacks come days before the big DC FanDome online event on Aug. 22. They are part of about the overall layoffs of about 600 employees at WarnerMedia.

The cuts also follow a series of Hollywood layoffs and furloughs that have affected agencies like CAA and Endeavor.

Other media companies, including Disney and NBCUniversal, have enacted rounds of layoffs and furloughs as the public health crisis has sparked a recession, disrupted film and television production, and closed movie theaters.

 

 

Sources:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/warnermedia-begins-massive-round-layoffs-1287678

https://deadline.com/2020/08/dc-comics-dc-universe-hit-layoffs-warnermedia-1203009714/

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/layoffs-warner-bros-warnermedia-hbo-1234730458/

 

 

Well, all entertainment giants are now owned by bigger giants. AT&T owns WarnerMedia, Disney owns Fox, and Comcast owns NBCUniversal. And all of them did their own restructurization as they fits. And take streaming as the future, as each have their own streaming service now. Covid-19 only make that process sooner, if not rushed, cos companies now also forced to do spending cuts.

[papergangster 2,710]

Omg this is so crazy, but not surprising. Hopefully the people affected had some sort of warning and were able to prepare accordingly. 

[GagaSine 7,464]

This is so awful  every day we’re looking more and more like a sci fi dystopia 

[weed 66,856]

It's wild they're removing a lot of high-up people, sad for the less fortunate. Hope they can find work elsewhere

[PunkTheFunk 121,499]

Are the superheroes being laid off as well?

[Franch Toast 25,220]

I'm so tired of all of these monopolies. 

 

 

[Twitter 14]

I hope they were notified in advance. 
Damnmit COVID

[Blastertoyo 22,728]

35 minutes ago, PunkTheFunk said:

Are the superheroes being laid off as well?

 

[Doot 2]

Idk why I find it so shocking that they laid off all those head owners and presidents etc. 

Just seems super cold.