Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), the giant media conglomerate from the United States, recently announced that it will split the company’s business into two divisions around the middle of next year.
This means that under WBD, two companies will be established, which will be responsible for two different network segments. The two companies will be called Streaming & Studios and Global Networks, and will come with their own management teams, which will help WBD give these different entities a focus on developing two related, but different industries.
Streaming & Studios will be led by David Zaslav, WBD’s president and CEO. The company will be responsible for the operation and development of the streaming business, film studio and video game development including HBO, HBO Max, Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, and Warner Bros. Games.
Global Networks will be led by Gunnar Wiedenfels, WBD’s Chief Financial Officer, and will be responsible for news and sports networks such as CNN, TNT Sports, Discovery, Bleacher Report, and the Discovery+ streaming service.
The separation of these platforms has already begun, and is expected to be complete around mid-2026. It is not yet known whether this change will cause some streaming services, such as HBO Max, to change their names again. HBO Max is currently offered in 77 countries, and is expected to expand to more countries next year.
Global Networks’ networks, in turn, are broadcast in more than 200 countries worldwide and are watched by more than 1 billion viewers. The company will focus on adding content, including international news broadcasts, live content and more.
To support these additions, WBD will reportedly channel $17.5 billion in funding to both companies. Global Networks will also reportedly take a 20 percent stake in Streaming & Studios.