Warner Bros. Discovery—ad spending, facts and profile

Overview Warner Bros. Discovery is a global media and entertainment company formed by the 2022 merger of Discovery and AT&T’s WarnerMedia. Warner Bros. Discovery’s headquarters is in New York. Business segments and operations Discovery creates and distributes content across TV, film and streaming. The company’s brands and franchises include Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, Warner Bros. Television Group, DC, HBO, HBO Max, Max, discovery+, CNN, Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TNT Sports, TBS, TLC, OWN, Warner Bros. Games, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Harry Potter, Looney Tunes, Hanna-Barbera, Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings. See more: Warner Bros. Discovery’s business and brands WarnerMedia (historic): AT&T’s former WarnerMedia segment developed, produced and distributed feature films, television, gaming and other content. WarnerMedia’s brands included HBO, HBO Max (a streaming service launched in 2020; rebranded as Max in 2023), Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC Entertainment, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Turner Classic Movies. Discovery (historic): Discovery was a global media company whose brands included Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, Animal Planet and Science Channel as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America and Eurosport in Europe. Marketing spending U.S. ad spending: Total U.S. ad spending figures shown in the Ad Age Leading National Advertisers report are Ad Age Datacenter estimates. Worldwide ad spending: Total worldwide ad spending figures shown in the Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers report for 2023 are the company’s stated “advertising costs.” Warner Bros. Discovery disclosed worldwide advertising costs of $2.428 billion in 2023, down 28.5% from estimated pro forma ad spending of $3.395 billion in 2022. Ad Age’s 2022 pro forma figure includes estimated ad spending for the former WarnerMedia for the pre-merger period of Jan. 1 through April 7, 2022. Warner Bros. Discovery disclosed 2022 worldwide ad spending of $2.519 billion, including spending for the former WarnerMedia effective with the merger on April 8, 2022. Discovery (historic) Discovery reported the following worldwide advertising spending: 2021: $1.247 billion (10.2% of total revenue) 2020: $412 million (3.9%) 2019: $390 million (3.5%) 2018: $355 million (3.4%) WarnerMedia (historic) WarnerMedia’s stated worldwide ad spending: 2021: $3.584 billion (10.7% of revenue) 2020: $2.518 billion (8.9%) 2019: $2.945 billion (8.9%) Time Warner (historic) Time Warner, predecessor to WarnerMedia, reported the following worldwide advertising spending: 2017: $2.528 billion (8.1% of revenue) 2016: $2.386 billion (8.1%) 2015: $2.586 billion (9.2%) 2014: $2.430 billion (8.9%) 2013: $2.447 billion (9.2%) 2012: $2.314 billion (9.1%) 2011: $2.980 billion (10.3%) 2010: $2.824 billion (10.5%) 2009: $2.562 billion (10.1%) Earlier Time Warner 10-K filings showed the following worldwide advertising costs, including spending for Time Warner Cable and AOL (both spun off in 2009): 2008: $3.531 billion 2007: $4.253 billion 2006: $4.525 billion 2005: $5.112 billion 2004: $5.265 billion 2003: $4.678 billion 2002: $4.271 billion Links to Ad Age’s advertiser rankings Latest rankings: U.S. The Ad Age Leading National Advertisers 2024 ranking was released Oct. 28, 2024. Ad Age Leading National Advertisers 2024 U.S. ad spending, rankings, analysis and profiles for the biggest marketers Click here Past rankings: U.S. Ad Age Leading National Advertisers 2023 Ad Age Leading National Advertisers 2022 Latest rankings: worldwide The Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers 2024 ranking was released Dec. 9, 2024. Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers 2024 Global ad spending, rankings, analysis and profiles for the biggest marketers Click here Past rankings: worldwide Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers 2023 Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers 2022 Financial results See more: Warner Bros. Discovery’s financial results Read Warner Bros. Discovery’s annual filing Deals and strategic moves Merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery (2022): Discovery Inc. on April 8, 2022, completed its merger with the WarnerMedia business of AT&T and changed Discovery’s name to Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. AT&T received about $40.4 billion (including $38.8 billion of cash and $1.6 billion of debt retained by WarnerMedia). AT&T shareholders ended up with about a 71% stake in Warner Bros. Discovery; Discovery shareholders owned 29%. Discovery was deemed to be the accounting acquirer of WarnerMedia. So for accounting purposes, Discovery is considered Warner Bros. Discovery’s predecessor. AT&T’s transaction with Discovery excluded WarnerMedia’s Xandr, an ad tech unit that provided advertising services (primarily the AppNexus business) using data for targeted advertising. AT&T in June 2022 sold Xandr to Microsoft Corp. AT&T offloaded WarnerMedia less than four years after buying the company. AT&T’s purchase of WarnerMedia (2018): AT&T bought Time Warner in June 2018 for total consideration of $79.4 billion. When the deal closed, AT&T changed Time Warner’s name to “Warner Media, LLC” (branded as WarnerMedia). Time Warner (historic): Time Warner was a media company that owned Warner Bros. Entertainment, Turner and Home Box Office. In the years before its acquisition by AT&T, Time Warner narrowed its focus by spinning off major units. Time Warner spun off as separate public companies Time Inc. in 2014 (acquired by Meredith Corp. in 2018; Meredith’s digital and magazine businesses acquired by IAC’s Dotdash in 2021); AOL in 2009 (acquired by Verizon Communications in 2015; sold by Verizon in 2020); and Time Warner Cable in 2009 (acquired by Charter Communications in 2016). Management and employees David Zaslav is president and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery. See more: Warner Bros. Discovery management See more: Warner Bros. Discovery careers Stock Warner Bros. Discovery trades Nasdaq under ticker WBD. History WarnerMedia and Discovery merged April 8, 2022, creating Warner Bros. Discovery. See more: Warner Bros. history and overview See more: Warner Bros. Discovery history Ad Age Leading National Advertisers 2024 U.S. ad spending, rankings, analysis and profiles for the biggest marketers Click here

Warner Bros. Discovery—ad spending, facts and profile

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