Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav saw his pay package triple in 2025 to $165 million, tied in part to one-time stock options that were awarded to the executive for his initial plan to split the company into two entities.
Indeed, $110 million of the package came from stock options granted last June following Zaslav’s decision to split WBD into Warner Bros. and Discovery Global, according to a company SEC filing on Thursday. The rest of Zaslav’s 2025 pay package came from his $3 million base salary, $22.6 million in stock and a $25.7 million cash bonus.
That total package puts him at the top of the entertainment CEO heap, well ahead of Disney’s Bob Iger ($45.8 million), Paramount’s David Ellison ($63.2 million) and Comcast’s Brian Roberts ($35.1 million).
News of Zaslav’s pay also comes as he’s faced considerable pushback for his golden parachute worth a staggering $887 million tied to Warner Bros. Discovery’s sale to Paramount. Company shareholders rejected that exit reward last week, but the vote was merely advisory and non-binding, so Zaslav could still get his nearly $1 billion as he leaves the company despite heavy scrutiny.
Warner Bros. Discovery had a good 2025 with a slew of box office hits and Oscar winners on the film side and big TV hits like “The Pitt.” While Zaslav intended to split the company in two, a bidding war erupted when Ellison began pursuing the entirety of WBD for acquisition.
Netflix initially came away the victor as it looked to buy only the studio portion of the company, but Ellison swooped in with a higher bid at the last minute and Paramount is now set to acquire all of Warner Bros. Discovery pending regulatory approvals.
