Warner Bros. Discovery’s Chief Executive Officer, David Zaslav, struck an optimistic and forward-looking tone as he addressed the company’s employees during a Friday global town hall to discuss the monumental merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix. Speaking via a live all-hands meeting, Zaslav characterized the moment as a historic and transformative milestone for the studio and its extensive entertainment legacy. Calling it “a big day for Warner Bros.,” Zaslav highlighted both the symbolic and practical significance of the new partnership, echoing a sentiment of renewal for the company’s creative and technological future. The session, a recording of which was later reviewed by Business Insider, offered employees insight into the scale of the arrangement and reassurance about what the merger could mean for the company’s long-term prospects and workforce stability.
The merger itself represents a remarkable shift within the entertainment and streaming industries. Netflix’s decision to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery’s studio and streaming assets in an astonishing $72 billion transaction is nothing short of industry-defining. This merger, unveiled on Friday, signals Netflix’s ambition to expand beyond its traditional streaming boundaries and integrate Warner Bros.’ celebrated creative heritage into its ecosystem. Yet the restructuring plan also maintains that Warner Bros. Discovery’s television networks—including high-profile channels such as CNN and TNT—will transition into an independent spinoff entity by mid-2026, consistent with the media company’s earlier strategic blueprint. This balancing act reflects both companies’ desire to maintain continuity, even as they prepare for radical integration.
The town hall, which began at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time, was designed with deliberate intent: to answer employees’ pressing questions, quell uncertainty, and provide clear leadership messaging in light of the sudden announcement. Recognizing growing concerns within the workforce, Zaslav also circulated an internal memo to staff, acknowledging that while moments of structural change are inherently unsettling, the company was committed to fairness and transparency. Some employees candidly shared with Business Insider their anxiety over job security—a natural reaction given the prospect of another massive corporate realignment. Their apprehension was heightened by Netflix’s advanced proprietary technology, which in some areas may surpass WBD’s existing systems, potentially leading to overlap or redundancy in technical operations.
Attempting to ease such concerns, Zaslav spoke reassuringly about Netflix’s intentions toward Warner Bros. Discovery staff. “The intention is, they want to keep most people,” he said during the meeting, underscoring that Netflix’s leadership valued the human capital, institutional knowledge, and cultural distinctiveness that WBD employees bring. His comments framed the moment not as a contraction, but as a convergence that would ideally preserve and even expand creative opportunities.
Adding his voice to the internal conversation, WBD Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels—who is slated to lead Discovery Global following its upcoming spinoff—reflected on the emotional complexity of the transition. “It’s an emotional day, I think, for all of us,” Wiedenfels said, capturing the mix of nostalgia and anticipation permeating the company. He emphasized that while the Warner Bros. Discovery structure known to the public would soon evolve into something new, the future offered exciting possibilities for growth and reinvention.
During the town hall, executives revisited the company’s transformation journey. Zaslav acknowledged that the organization and its employees had already weathered numerous changes since he orchestrated the landmark merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery back in 2021—a consolidation that set the stage for today’s even larger development. Reflecting on that turbulent yet productive period, Zaslav noted, “In the end, we’ve gotten a lot more right than we’ve gotten wrong,” a humble assertion of confidence in the company’s overall trajectory despite its many challenges.
He also elaborated on the circumstances leading up to the Netflix deal. According to Zaslav, Warner Bros. Discovery had long planned a structural split—a measured strategy that predated outside interest from other media conglomerates. When Paramount unexpectedly entered the picture with an unsolicited offer, WBD leadership faced the professional responsibility of evaluating all proposals objectively. As a publicly traded company, Zaslav reminded staff, their foremost obligation was to maximize shareholder value and ensure that every decision contributed to sustainable investor confidence. “Our No. 1 focus is to drive shareholder value,” he reiterated, making clear that the process had been guided by financial and fiduciary discipline rather than sentimentality.
As multiple potential buyers—including Paramount Skydance and Comcast—joined Netflix in submitting competitive offers, the negotiation process intensified, drawing significant media coverage. Zaslav admitted, “It was more public than we would have liked,” acknowledging that while the heightened visibility reflected the high stakes of the bidding war, it also added pressure and distraction for employees following the updates. Nonetheless, he encouraged staff to interpret the fierce interest of prospective buyers not as instability, but as evidence of WBD’s enduring relevance and desirability in the modern entertainment landscape. “They wanted to figure out how to get into business with all of you,” he said, turning the spotlight toward employees and their creative value within the industry. Zaslav added a lighthearted caution that “there may be more noise ahead,” likening the coming months to a dynamic ride and humorously advising everyone to “put your seatbelts on.”
Ultimately, the executives made it clear that after reviewing all possibilities, WBD accepted what they believed to be the strongest and most promising offer on the table. “Netflix is an exceptional company,” Zaslav affirmed, praising its capacity for long-term innovation and its established reputation for building a sustainable entertainment model. He suggested that as Netflix integrates HBO Max content into its expansive global platform, the result would be a broader reach and a richer audience experience—“more people will be getting nourished,” he said, referring to the widespread cultural impact of HBO and Warner Bros. storytelling.
Meanwhile, Netflix executives addressed their own constituencies—investors, analysts, regulators, and creative partners—to articulate the rationale behind this groundbreaking acquisition. Greg Peters, Netflix’s co-CEO, speaking to analysts following the announcement, explained that the acquisition would dramatically enhance Netflix’s production capacity within the United States, further solidifying its commitment to original content creation. “This acquisition will allow us to significantly expand our production capacity in the United States and keep investing in original content over the long term,” Peters stated. His remarks suggested that the merger would yield far-reaching benefits for the creative community: more opportunities for writers, directors, producers, technicians, and all manner of media professionals, thus stimulating job creation across the broader entertainment sector.
Although the story is still unfolding, the tone set by both companies exudes confidence and optimism. Warner Bros. Discovery appears poised to transition into a redefined era of strategic partnerships, technological renewal, and content globalism, while Netflix reinforces its standing as the leading architect of digital storytelling. As both organizations navigate integration and regulatory scrutiny, they each project a shared vision—a future built on creative abundance, innovation, and the continuous expansion of narrative reach. This is a developing story and will continue to evolve as new details emerge.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/wbd-ceo-david-zaslav-warner-bros-netflix-deal-town-hall-2025-12
