The future annual pay package of David Zaslav, chief executive of Warner Bros Discovery, could drop by about 50 per cent after the company splits in 2026, following years of shareholder criticism of his remuneration.

Zaslav’s $52mn pay package for 2024, which exceeded that of his counterparts at Walt Disney and Comcast, was rejected by shareholders in a symbolic vote last month. Warner board members said his new remuneration package would be reconfigured following “shareholders’ feedback” in a statement released on Monday. 

Warner Bros Discovery announced this month that it would split itself into two companies in a deal that is expected to close in mid-2026. The new pay formula will take effect after the split, which will leave Zaslav to run the company’s movie studio and streaming businesses, while chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels will lead a business holding most of its cable TV assets. The lower pay also reflects the fact the companies will be smaller following the split.