Warner Bros. Discovery’s Zaslav: ‘We aren’t on the market’ – report (NASDAQ:WBD)

“We aren’t on the market, completely not on the market,” Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) chief David Zaslav mentioned, throwing chilly water on any rumors of potential mergers, Deadline experiences.

Zaslav made the remarks on a companywide digital townhall assembly, in keeping with the report – they usually come as hypothesis within the trade swirls about whether or not Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) is planning a significant acquisition to shake up the media market.

Zaslav was joined by HBO Max head Casey Bloys, WB Tv Chair Channing Dungey, and Movement Image Group leads Mike DeLuca and Pam Abdy, Deadline famous – and he reportedly doubled down on confidence expressed throughout a prolonged technique dialogue throughout final month’s earnings convention name.

The inventory has been buffeted as WBD launched a reasonably aggressive plan to begin recouping not less than $3B in price synergies, together with layoffs and shuttered models. WBD inventory is down 54% over the previous six months.

It is up 3.8% Wednesday, heading for its first achieve in six buying and selling periods because the broader market rallies.

“The strongest hand within the trade,” Zaslav mentioned, in keeping with Deadline. “Now we have every thing we have to be profitable to be the largest leisure media firm on the planet.” Usually, he urged endurance with the plan because the trade goes via tough instances.

The corporate seems to be shifting ahead with layoffs that might hit as much as 30% of its advert gross sales pressure.