Charles Barkley And Fellow ‘Inside The NBA’ Hosts Re-Up With Warner Bros Discovery Sports On Eve Of Season Tipoff

What does Warner Bros. Discovery head David Zaslav have in mind for his studio’s near future? Deadline reports that on a Q3 earnings call yesterday afternoon, Zaslav detailed exactly what he envisions, and it’s all about big tentpole franchises.

In the near future, it’s pretty simple what the new Warner Bros Discovery will zero in on: “We’re going to have a real focus on franchises,” President and CEO David Zaslav said on this afternoon’s Q3 earnings call.

Warner Bros Discovery stumbled in the third quarter, falling short of Wall Street expectations due to a slowdown in advertising and merger-related restructuring charges.

On the day when Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash was fired after his team started the season 2-5, the talking heads on TNT’s Emmy-winning Inside the NBA found themselves talking about Nets player Kyrie Irving and the irony that, while Nash was fired for a record that may or may not have been entirely his fault, Irving has faced no official sanction after sharing a video from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones which contained antisemitic tropes.

Warner Bros. Discovery will take a hit of between $1.3 billion and $1.6 billon in pre-tax restructuring charges for the third quarter ended in September as part of the ongoing merge of its operations, primary from content write-downs.

Warner Bros. Discovery has become the first major studio to sell a movie’s NFT bundle,with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring dropping tomorrow.

Rooster Teeth, a gaming-oriented digital content creator and fan community owned by Warner Bros Discovery, has apologized for “hate and mistreatment” after complaints were lodged by a former staffer.

report from the New York Post.Barkley’s current contract with the NBA broadcaster — which pays him $10 million per season — still has three years left, ending after the 2024-25 season and overlapping with TNT’s broadcast agreement with the league.If Barkley fulfills his entire current contract, he would be looking at making over $100 million, approaching $200 million, but the exact amount is not yet known. In the case that Turner Broadcasting doesn’t keep the NBA, Barkley could also own rights to employment for other digital platforms or networks, especially if Amazon, Apple or other tech giants are involved. The 59-year-old has hinted at retirement at the age of 60, but TNT’s latest offer to Barkley follows its commitment to Barkley’s partners — Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith — according to The Post.“We’re all a big family – Ernie, Kenny and Shaquille are brothers to me – and I wouldn’t still be here if it wasn’t for them and all the amazing people who work on our show,” Barkley said.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Amazon Prime Video has scored a pair of deals with Warner Bros. Discovery and Sony to bolster its programming in France with premium titles. The agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery gives Prime Video the first-window rights to exclusive TV series from Warner Bros. Discovery in France, including “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin,” the first two seasons of “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” Ava DuVernay’s miniseries “DMZ” and “Peacemaker” Season 1. Also part of the pact are library TV titles, on a non-exclusive basis. These include “Legacies” (Seasons 1 through 3), “Pretty Little Liars,” “Fringe,” “One Tree Hill,” “The Originals” and “Shameless.”

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros. Discovery is behind a TV show telling real life stories of people overcoming severe medical conditions to show human bravery, with Netflix’s Amazing on the Inside producer Future Studios and distributor TVF International shopping Unbelievable Me at Mipcom Cannes this week.

according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Both Tricia and Jill will be here through the rest of the year, working with me as we realign the teams through this transitional period.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Warner Bros. Discovery Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics chief marketing officer Tricia Melton is departing the company, along with Cartoon Network and Adult Swim senior VP of marketing and partnerships Jill King. Their exits rep the latest high-profile departures at the conglom as it continues to cut costs and downsize following the April acquisition of Warner Bros. by Discovery. Melton’s and King’s exits come just days after Warner Bros. TV Group’s animation division was hit hard by cuts — including the merger of development and main production teams for Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios. Both shingles remain, but with a smaller, merged headcount.  

shuttered as part of cost-cutting moves. WBD’s chief DEI officer Asif Sadiq will partner with Warner Bros. Television upon the completion of the current workshop class and will work to grow the program.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to end its long-running writers and directors training program, which the conglom announced Tuesday as part of a series of layoffs and budget cuts at Warner Bros. TV Group, drew a strong rebuke from different parts of the industry, including a stinging statement on Wednesday by the Directors Guild of America. But what Warner Bros. Discovery hadn’t followed up to explain — and quickly revealed on Wednesday — is that its Writers Workshop and Directors Workshop will live on (albeit it, in a somewhat different form, details TBD) but now move from Warner Bros. Television and be housed inside the conglom’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion unit.

HGTV is getting into the holiday movie business this season with two flicks featuring Love it or List It’s Hilary Farr and Home Town’s Ben and Erin Napier.

Warner Bros. Discovery has performed a quick U-turn on its decision to close its Writers and Directors Workshops.

Industry veterans Emad Morcos, former OSN Chief Content and Commercial Officer; Amanda Turnbull, who was previously General Manager at Warner Bros Discovery Middle East, Africa and Turkey; and Amel Farag, former Head of Content Commercial Strategy at OSN have joined forces to launch Rise Studios.

The Warner Bros. Discovery layoffs continue.

Manori Ravindran International Editor Former Warner Bros. Discovery and OSN executives are teaming up to form a new content studio serving the Middle East and North Africa, Variety can reveal. Rise Studios is being set up by industry veterans Emad Morcos, former OSN chief content and commercial officer; Amanda Turnbull, former general manager at Warner Bros. Discovery Middle East, Africa and Turkey; and Amel Farag, former head of content commercial strategy at OSN. Rise will invest in local content and talent in order to launch homegrown film and TV productions on both regional and global broadcasters and streaming platforms.

in a Twitter thread on Tuesday.“And for what? The business model isn’t working. @WBD stock has lost more than 50% post-merger. So stockholders suffer too.