Warner Bros. Discovery has named Luis Silberwasser chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports. The veteran media executive will report to CEO David Zaslav as he oversees the company’s U.S. sports portfolio and orchestrates a global sports strategy.
Silberwasser most recently served as president of TelevisiaUnivision, Inc. U.S. Network Group, where he led the growth of its broadcast and cable networks as well as the entertainment, news, and sports content and programming strategies. Prior to that, Silberwasser spent 16 years at Discovery Communications, Inc., holding a number of leadership positions including executive vice president and chief content officer at Discovery Networks International. In that role, Silberwasser helped to build the company’s global footprint and its early emphasis on live content, including sports.
“I have known Luis for many years and have tremendous respect for how hard he works, how collaborative he approaches the job, and his ability to build very successful global businesses and brands,” said Zaslav. “I am thrilled to be working with him again, and believe Luis’ strong international business relationships, leadership track record and passion for delivering the best content and consumer experience make him the ideal leader to oversee the continued growth and expansion of our world-class sports business.”
“I am delighted to join Warner Bros. Discovery during an exciting and innovative time especially for its newly integrated global sports business and the great team at the company which boasts some of the most compelling on air talent, world class production values and the broadest media rights in the world,” said Silberwasser.” I truly feel like I am returning home under David’s dynamic and forward-thinking leadership and look forward to working with the global sports organization, our sports rights partners and the entire WBD company to deliver the most compelling and exciting sports programming to our fans and audiences worldwide.”
Lenny Daniels, president, Turner Sports, and Patrick Crumb, president, Regional Sports Networks, will report to Silberwasser. Andrew Georgiou, president and managing director, WBD Sports Europe, will continue to report to Gerhard Zeiler, president, International.
Through Turner Sports, Eurosport Networks and its BT Sports joint venture, Warner Bros. Discovery has a large portfolio of media rights, sports networks and sports-focused streaming platforms. However, its planned BT Sports joint venture has drawn a probe from a British government watchdog agency to ensure that the partnership does not hurt the competitive marketplace. The deadline for Phase 1 of the investigation, which launched June 1, is July 28. At that time, the CMA will announce whether it will open a second phase of the probe.
In the U.S, Warner Bros. Discovery has long-term broadcast rights to the National Basketball League, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and NCAA Basketball. In Europe, the company has rights to the Olympics, PGA Tour, ATP World Tour, as well as cycling, tennis and soccer matches. In Latin American countries, sports rights include UEFA and several local soccer leagues. The company’s four sports streaming services include Eurosport Player that offers localized sports to customers in 52 European markets.
