WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar — whose future has been in doubt since AT&T’s $43 billion deal to spin off its entertainment unit — will remain at the helm of the company until mid-2022, it emerged on Thursday.
Kilar has told staffers that he will continue in his current role as WarnerMedia CEO for the next 12 months, which is roughly when the media company’s merger with Discovery is expected to close, sources said.
Kilar, who only took the WarnerMedia job last April, made the surprise announcement Thursday at a celebration of the one-year anniversary of WarnerMedia’s streaming service HBO Max, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news.
Kilar, who recently became eligible for $53 million in cash and stock options, stands to pocket his entire annual $2.5 million salary and his targeted bonus if terminated after two years on the job, according to to AT&T SEC filing in March. His severance after one year would have included unpaid salary and a prorated bonus subject to performance.
“My plan and my focus is to remain here in my CEO role at WarnerMedia,” Kilar reportedly said. “I am not thinking right now about post-merger. There will
