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Warner Bros. Discovery, the media big created by the fusion of the house owners of HBO and “90 Day Fiancé,” mentioned Thursday that it had picked an govt to handle its billions of {dollars} of sports activities rights, one of many cornerstones of the corporate. The corporate now has the rights to video games from the Nationwide Basketball Affiliation and the Nationwide Hockey League.
The chief, Luis Silberwasser, might be accountable for ushering the corporate’s sports activities programming — which incorporates “Contained in the NBA,” the NCAA March Insanity males’s basketball match and playoff baseball — additional into the streaming period.
Mr. Silberwasser has been probably the most senior executives at Univision, which this 12 months closed a $4.8 billion take care of Mexican media big Televisa to create a Spanish-language media colossus. He’s president of TelevisaUnivision Inc. U.S. Networks Group, reporting to Wade Davis, Univision’s chief govt.
Mr. Silberwasser has a longstanding relationship with David Zaslav, the chief govt of Warner Bros. Discovery, who oversaw Discovery earlier than it merged with WarnerMedia this 12 months. Mr. Silberwasser was an govt vice chairman at Discovery, accountable for content material at Discovery Networks Worldwide, throughout a tenure on the firm that ran greater than a decade. His title might be chairman and chief govt of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports activities.
Mr. Silberwasser, who’s Latino, is one of some executives of colour on Mr. Zaslav’s administration crew. He joins Savalle Sims, the corporate’s normal counsel, and Channing Dungey, the chairman of Warner Brothers Tv Group, who’re Black. Warner Bros. Discovery has taken steps to diversify its board of administrators, and Mr. Silberwasser’s appointment makes him probably the most highly effective Latino executives within the U.S. media business.
Mr. Silberwasser might want to hold programming prices underneath management whereas the worth of dwell sports activities rights soars. Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Government David Zaslav has informed Wall Avenue the corporate might be disciplined about its spending on content material, however he additionally desires the corporate to proceed to be a serious participant within the sports-media area. These two targets could possibly be at odds.
One outstanding instance: The N.B.A. Warner Bros. Discovery pays a median of about $1.2 billion per 12 months for the rights to point out N.B.A. video games nationally, a part of a nine-year settlement signed in 2014. That settlement is up after the 2024-25 season, and the N.B.A. is anticipating its charge to sharply enhance throughout the subsequent spherical of negotiations given the rising reputation of the N.B.A. globally, in line with an individual acquainted with the settlement.
There may be little doubt Warner Bros. Discovery must pay extra to proceed displaying the N.B.A., which is a prime draw for its cable channel TNT and sports activities web site Bleacher Report. The N.F.L. practically doubled its media income from rights agreements signed final 12 months, and the N.H.L., Southeastern Convention and different sports activities leagues have seen big will increase in lately accomplished offers.
Mr. Silberwasser might be accountable for managing Warner Bros. Discovery’s U.S. sports activities portfolio and setting the corporate’s international sports activities technique. The corporate’s worldwide sports activities portfolio, together with the Olympics, might be managed by Andrew Georgiou, the president and managing director of WBD Sports activities Europe. Lenny Daniels, the president of Turner Sports activities, and Patrick Crumb, the president of regional sports activities networks, will report back to Mr. Silberwasser.
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Supply- nytimes