Please wait...
Please wait...

More lay-offs loom at WarnerMedia

WarnerMedia is beginning a new round of lay-offs affecting more than 1,000 people as part of the company’s ongoing reorganisation under CEO Jason Kilar.

Jason Kilar

Kilar, who is overseeing a major shake-up of the media giant resulting in a new wave of job cuts, told staff in an internal memo on November 10 that it will begin revealing which jobs are going and which roles have changed.

The shake-up has already resulted in around 500 job losses and some big names leaving the media giant. These have included entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt, Kevin Reilly, chief content officer at HBO Max and president of TNT, TBS and TruTV, and Jeffrey R Schlesinger, president of Warner Bros Worldwide Television Distribution.

Other recent departures include Warner Bros Television Group president and chief marketing officer Lisa Gregorian and longtime Warner Bros TV Group communications senior VP Scott Rowe. Gregorian has been at the studio for more than 30 years, and is leaving at the end of the year, while Rowe is a studio veteran of 27 years.

Karen Miller, currently exec VP of creative services, will absorb some of Gregorian’s duties including leading marketing operations and creative services for the television group, reporting to incoming chairman Channing Dungey.

Kilar is looking to change the organisational structure of WarnerMedia, including simplifying how it organises its entertainment studios, elevating HBO Max and consolidating its commercial activities into one organisation.

US reports suggest the AT&T-owned media company is seeking to reduce its workforce by 5-7% in the latest round of lay-offs, which could affect 1,250 to 1,750 of the company’s 25,000 employees.

Kilar said in his memo, reported by US media: “We have arrived at a number of difficult decisions that are resulting in a smaller WarnerMedia team. This is a function of removing layers and the impact of consolidating previously separate organisations.

“Starting today in North America, we will be sharing which jobs are being eliminated and which roles have changed. We are continuing to review proposed changes in other countries across our non-US businesses, the timing of which will vary according to local regulatory requirements.”

The memo added: “To our colleagues who are leaving, I wish there were words to lessen today’s pain. Your contributions are a permanent part of this great company and today’s news does not change that. I am extremely thankful for all that you have done for this team and this mission. I hope that at some point you will look back on all of it with immense pride. Until then, please stay well and safe.”

Former Hulu CEO Kilar, who joined WarnerMedia in April, has previously said the media giant needs to take “smart and bold risks” in order to go direct-to-consumer around the world and react to the pandemic’s economic pressures.

RELATED ARTICLES

Please wait...