Warner Bros. Discovery board member John Malone has decided not to seek re-election once his term ends at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the company announced on Friday. Instead, he will take on the role of chair emeritus.
“John possesses one of the most brilliant strategic minds our industry has ever known. His exceptional insights and visionary perspective on the global media landscape and its future have been invaluable to me personally and pivotal in shaping the trajectory and remarkable growth of Discovery and now at Warner Bros. Discovery,” WBD president and CEO David Zaslav said in a statement. “Working alongside John has profoundly enriched our ability to navigate complex challenges, seize transformative opportunities and create lasting value.”
He continued, “As chair emeritus, John’s unparalleled counsel, deep expertise and clarity of vision will continue to shape our leadership team and board’s decisions as we unlock the full potential of our business. The partnership and friendship we’ve built over more than 30 years has been one of the true joys of my career, and I’m looking forward to continuing this journey with John in this new role.”
“On behalf of the full board, I would like to thank John for his contributions to Warner Bros. Discovery,” WBD board chair Samuel A. Di Piazza, Jr. added. “John has been instrumental in overseeing the development of Warner Bros. Discovery’s strategy and charting our course to navigate the current media landscape. We are fortunate to have the enduring benefit of his unparalleled expertise and insights as he assumes his new role of chair emeritus.”
In his place, WBD said they intend to nominate Anton Levy to the board. In the meantime, Malone will continue to attend board meetings and “provide strategic counsel” to the management team after being with the company since 2008.
“It has been a privilege to serve on the Warner Bros. Discovery board and work alongside David and his exceptional team to help guide the company through an industry-defining merger and its ongoing transformation,” Malone said in a statement of his own. “A constant through this journey has been my long-standing partnership with David, built on deep trust and his powerful combination of operational excellence and decisive leadership.”
He concluded, “The board and management team have made incredible progress making the company more resilient, agile and positioned for profitable growth. I am confident Warner Bros. Discovery is on the right path and I look forward to remaining actively involved, not only as a significant stockholder, but in this important role helping to shape the growth trajectory as the company evaluates important strategic and structural opportunities ahead and as a fan of our world-class assets and the engaging storytelling that set this company apart.”
Outside of WBD, Malone is also the chairman of the board and interim CEO of Liberty Media Corporation and Liberty Broadband Corporation, as well as chairman of the board of Liberty Global Plc. He has also been on the boards of directors for companies such as Tele-Communications, Inc., Discovery Holding Company, Qurate Retail, GCI Liberty, Inc., Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., Charter Communications and Expedia.
