Warner Bros. Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav Interview with TVN

Anita Werner: On “Facts after Facts” today, a special guest. David Zaslav, President, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery. 

David Zaslav: Good morning, Anita. 

A.W.: You have come to Warsaw at a very special moment. The celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is underway. Why is this anniversary so important to you? 

D.Z.: First of all, I am here because TVN is very close to me. I come here often and am very proud of everything we do at TVN. This is something we will return to. In addition, a large part of my family comes from Poland. My relatives died in the Warsaw ghetto. When I’m here and see such important celebrations, I have another confirmation of how wonderful this country is. 

A.W: It is not only your personal history that is connected to Poland, also the history of the founders of Warner Bros. Company. They are four brothers: Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack Warner. Three of them were born in Poland. Do you have that sense that their historical fate influenced their later activities? 

D.Z.: Actually, they were born 100 kilometers from Warsaw. My office in Los Angeles used to be Jack Warner’s office. I think his entrepreneurial spirit, his drive to succeed, came largely from Polish culture. I saw it in my grandparents. The Warner brothers showed their entrepreneurial spirit when they came to California, wanting to tell stories that would have a real impact on how people see the world and themselves. There was a time when they produced 100 films a year. Back then, there was only radio in the world, so people went to the movies to see what other countries looked like, how their people dressed. So the Warner brothers left a big footprint. And now in this great partnership is me. And together with you here on the TVN news channel, on Polish TVN, HBO and Warner Bros. and with all this great content, we have a chance to tell great stories. We are a company that presents such stories and in this way we influence reality. 

A.W.: Speaking of you and the company – over a year ago you became President, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery. What is your most important goal for the future? I know it’s hard to pick one, but what would you choose as the most important one? 

D.Z.: I would say telling great stories. The most important thing at Warner Brothers is stories. Both in series, movies, HBO, even games, and we recently released a new game, “Legacy of Hogwarts.” Great storytelling can be entertaining. And when we try very hard, it can inspire. There are great, creative people working at Warner Bros. Our business is very diverse. It’s not just entertainment, but also sports – we’ll be showing the Olympics. We broadcast ski jumping, most of tennis, cycling and we broadcast news programs. We are very proud of TVN news – the news brand that is most trusted in Poland. We fight very hard for journalistic integrity, to provide Polish viewers with all the facts and opinions of each side. This is the foundation of the values of Warner Bros. Discovery. We are fortunate that TVN has been our important entity for many years, which is why I come to Poland so often. Now CNN is also part of us. I spent the morning at TVN today. We are in first place in Poland in the area of providing entertainment, as well as in the area of information. We also enjoy the most trust. And this is really important for us. I know how hard you work for this. Our entire team fights to show the best version of the full truth every day. Our stories have the greatest impact when viewers see what’s happening in the world and what’s happening in their world. 

A.W.: TVN and TVN24 are part of Warner Bros. Discovery. How important is Poland to such a global company? How important are TVN and TVN24 as Polish independent media? 

D.Z.: Poland is a fantastic market. It’s probably the only market in Europe with a positive GDP for the last decade. It’s a country heavily focused on education, with great people. It’s also our largest market, and we’re present in 110 countries. We employ almost 4,000 people here. It’s a fantastic country. We love the news business and our business in Poland. Every now and then there are questions about whether the Polish company is for sale. And my focus, among other things, is on how to increase investment. For example, in local entertainment content, in sports and in news. So that we can develop the ideas of real journalism, freedom of speech, and so that everyone can be heard, as they are in every country. That’s what we’re doing with CNN as well. Along with me here today is Wolf Blitzer and Dana Bash. You were able to spend some time with each other. The cooperation between TVN and CNN is intense and a lot of fun. The fact that we can cover news, sports and entertainment sets us apart as a leading media and entertainment company outside the United States. We are also one of the largest media companies in the United States. Our voice can therefore be very strong in the future. 

A.W.: And since you mentioned entertainment, recently Warner Bros. Discovery announced the launch of its new streaming service Max. It will start in the United States in May, and will launch in other countries next year. What is so unique, enticing, exciting about the Max service that makes you look forward to its launch? 

D.Z.: I think for our voice to matter, we need to be accessible everywhere and to everyone. For a long time, people watched stories only on TV screens. Then such receivers became our phones. Finally came Netflix and other subscription platforms. We launched Eurosport Player. We did the same at TVN, our company. There are now new methods of reaching audiences. We can be a leader in the traditional business. But to succeed, we need to become a leader in streaming, and I think Max will help us do that. Our platform in Poland is great. With today’s HBO Max, together with TVN streaming, we are number one or two in the market. And we’re building more content on the Max service. We’ve learned in Europe that the more time people spend with you and the more family members use the product, the more they feel their needs are met. Then the more time they use the product and the more often they convince their friends to use it. Our TV library is the largest in the world. We also have the largest libraries of feature films and documentaries. By combining them, we give access to the largest selection of content ever available to the viewer. So we are very excited about that. By adding news and sports content, we are meeting the needs of our viewers to the greatest extent possible. 

A.W.: Poland and the United States are allies on many levels, which is especially important since the Russian invasion in Ukraine began. Poles and Americans share very similar values, for example, respect for democracy, freedom, free, independent media, diversity. From your perspective, which of these values are most important? 

D.Z.: Last week I spoke with the US Vice President about my upcoming visit to Poland. I also met with the head of President Biden’s administration. Relations between Poland and the US are very strong. The foundation is our common values. Freedom of speech and the operation in Poland of our leading, free and honest news station with the greatest trust and its such a strong position have been made possible because of what a great country this is. We watched from afar what happened in Ukraine and how Poland responded to it. We saw it on TVN, but we also watched it on CNN, so the images reached more than a billion people around the world. It was truly inspiring. As was how Poles faced the situation by opening the doors of their homes and offering medical assistance and education to nearly two million Ukrainian refugees. It was an example of how to be good, how to help others, and it became a model for other people across Europe and the world. I know that in America we have been very impressed by what is happening here, the support given by Poles to Ukrainians, their sacrifices and the wonderful work done by volunteers. It is very moving.