David Zaslav arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscars party after the 98th Academy Awards, in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., March 15, 2026. REUTERS
March 17 (Reuters) – Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav is likely to receive up to $887 million after completion of the media company’s sale to Paramount Skydance, according to a regulatory filing on Monday.
WBD last month agreed to be acquired by Paramount Skydance in a $110 billion deal, ending a high-stakes bidding war after Netflix walked away from its agreement with the HBO Max owner.
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Zaslav is expected to get cash severance of about $34.2 million, including salary continuation and bonus components triggered by a change-in-control termination.
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The pay also includes $115.8 million in vested equity.
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The WBD CEO is set to receive $517.2 million in unvested share awards – future stock grants that would be triggered when the sale goes through.
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The payout includes estimated tax reimbursements of about $335 million for Zaslav. This payment is based on tax-code rules “that are expected to cause it to significantly decline with the passage of time,” the company said in the filing.
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The tax payout will be zero if the completion of the deal gets pushed into 2027.
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Paramount expects the deal to close in the third quarter this year.
Reporting by Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo