"A bold visionary." — CNN Anchor Anderson Cooper on Warner Bros. Discovery founder Ted Turner.
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) held its annual upfront presentation for advertisers on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The event featured tributes to company founder Ted Turner, outlined new and returning programming across its television and streaming platforms, and addressed the company's pending merger with David Ellison's Paramount Skydance.
Tribute and Opening
The presentation opened with a tribute to Ted Turner, delivered by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. Cooper referred to Turner as a "bold visionary."
Content Announcements
WBD executives promoted a range of upcoming film and television projects across its networks and streaming services.
Film
- New "Gremlins" film
- "Ocean's" starring Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper
- "A Minecraft Movie 2" with Jack Black and Jason Momoa
- M. Night Shyamalan's film "Remain"
- James Gunn's "Superman"
Television (HBO and Max)
- "Harry Potter" television series for HBO
- Season 4 of "The White Lotus" (noted: Laura Dren is replacing Helena Bonham Carter)
- Season 4 of "The Gilded Age"
- Season 3 of "The Pitt" (announced by stars Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa)
- "The Big Bang Theory" spinoff "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe" premiering July 23 on HBO Max
- Craig Ferguson's show "American on Purpose"
- David Chang and Fred Armisen's "Lost in Sound"
- Second season of "Eva Longoria: Searching for France"
Cable Networks
- HGTV: Leslie Jones promoted her new show "Roast My Rental"
- Food Network: Terry Crews appeared for the new series "100 Cooks"
TNT Sports
- Promotion of NHL coverage on TNT
- Dunkman, a professional dunk league created by Shaquille O'Neal
- A segment featuring Shaquille O'Neal and a marching band highlighting sports rivalries
CNN
- Anderson Cooper, Kaitlan Collins, and Abby Phillip discussed CNN's news schedule and new shows
- Promotion of "Variety's Actor on Actors" and other CNN Original Series
Advertising and Technology
Executives Ryan Gould (president of U.S. advertising sales) and Bobby Voltaggio (co-president of U.S. advertising sales) hosted the presentation. They discussed new advertising technology offerings across HBO Max, Discovery+, and CNN's streaming platform. Chief marketing officer Karen Bronzo detailed partnerships with content creators, including Nick DiGiovanni for food programming.
Merger Announcement
Voltaggio made a reference to the merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance. Gould acknowledged industry changes related to the pending acquisition but stated that WBD's content portfolio and fan connections remain unchanged. The merger has led to the cancellation of previous plans to spin off WBD's cable network group.
Event Details
Sources report the presentation lasted between 60 and 70 minutes, exceeding its advertised one-hour runtime by approximately 10 minutes.