Warner Bros. Discovery Picks Sports Chief to Navigate Streaming Era

Warner Bros. Discovery, the media large created by the fusion of the homeowners of HBO and “90 Day Fiancé,” has picked an govt to handle its billions of {dollars} of sports activities rights, one of many cornerstones of the corporate, in accordance to individuals with information of the choice. The firm now has the rights to video games from the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League.

The govt, Luis Silberwasser, might be answerable for ushering the corporate’s sports activities programming — which incorporates “Inside the NBA,” the NCAA March Madness males’s basketball event and playoff baseball — additional into the streaming period. The resolution is predicted to be introduced on Thursday, stated the individuals, who would communicate solely on the situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to focus on the appointment.

Mr. Silberwasser has been one of the crucial senior executives at Univision, which this 12 months closed a $4.8 billion cope with Mexican media large Televisa to create a Spanish-language media colossus. He is president of TelevisaUnivision Inc. U.S. Networks Group, reporting to Wade Davis, Univision’s chief govt.

Mr. Silberwasser has a longstanding relationship with David Zaslav, the chief govt of Warner Bros. Discovery, who oversaw Discovery earlier than it merged with WarnerMedia this 12 months. Mr. Silberwasser was an govt vice chairman at Discovery, answerable for content material at Discovery Networks International, throughout a tenure on the firm that ran greater than a decade. His title might be chairman and chief govt of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports.

Mr. Silberwasser, who’s Latino, is one of some executives of shade on Mr. Zaslav’s administration staff. He joins Savalle Sims, the corporate’s normal counsel, and Channing Dungey, the chairman of Warner Brothers Television Group, who’re Black. Warner Bros. Discovery has taken steps to diversify its board of administrators, and Mr. Silberwasser’s appointment makes him one of the crucial highly effective Latino executives within the U.S. media business.

Mr. Silberwasser will want to maintain programming prices below management whereas the worth of dwell sports activities rights soars. Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav has instructed Wall Street the corporate might be disciplined about its spending on content material, however he additionally desires the corporate to proceed to be a significant participant within the sports-media area. Those two targets might be at odds.

One outstanding instance: The N.B.A. Warner Bros. Discovery pays a mean of about $1.2 billion per 12 months for the rights to present N.B.A. video games nationally, a part of a nine-year settlement signed in 2014. That settlement is up after the 2024-25 season, and the N.B.A. is anticipating its payment to sharply enhance through the subsequent spherical of negotiations given the rising reputation of the N.B.A. globally, in accordance to an individual accustomed to the settlement.

There is little doubt Warner Bros. Discovery could have to pay extra to proceed exhibiting the N.B.A., which is a high draw for its cable channel TNT and sports activities web site Bleacher Report. The N.F.L. almost doubled its media income from rights agreements signed final 12 months, and the N.H.L., Southeastern Conference and different sports activities leagues have seen big will increase in lately accomplished offers.

Mr. Silberwasser might be answerable for managing Warner Bros. Discovery’s U.S. sports activities portfolio and setting the corporate’s international sports activities technique. The firm’s worldwide sports activities portfolio, together with the Olympics, might be managed by Andrew Georgiou, the president and managing director of WBD Sports Europe. Lenny Daniels, the president of Turner Sports, and Patrick Crumb, the president of regional sports activities networks, will report to Mr. Silberwasser.