David Zaslav Says Trump’s Second Term May Offer ‘Opportunity for Consolidation’: Could Be a ‘Real Positive’ for Hollywood

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Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav had some optimistic things to say about a second Donald Trump term during a third-quarter earnings call on Thursday.

The Hollywood Reporter published details from the call, including Zaslav suggesting Trump’s second term could provide an “opportunity for consolidation” that would be a “real positive” for the entertainment industry.

According to The Hollywood Reporter:

Discussing “outright consolidation of an industry that is in a generational disruption” during the company’s third-quarter earnings conference call on Thursday, Zaslav said: “We have an upcoming new administration. It’s too early to tell, but it may offer a pace of change and an opportunity for consolidation that may be quite different, that would provide a real positive and accelerated impact on this industry that’s needed.”

Warner Bros. and Discovery merged in 2022 and Zaslav has been in cost cutting mode since then, with layoffs, canceled movies that were already filmed like Batgirl, and majorly scaled-back releases for movies like Clint Eastwood’s recent Juror #2. The brief digital streaming service CNN+ was also scrapped. CNN is one of the brands under the Warner Bros. Discovery umbrella. In its third quarter earnings, Warner Bros. Discovery revenue fell by double digits.

Zaslav argued on Thursday that the current state of streaming is “not sustainable” with too many services with too many different price points being thrown at consumers.

“You know, these are great companies, and if the best content is going to win, there needs to be some consolidation in order to have these businesses be stronger and have a better consumer experience,” Zaslav said.