Warner Bros. Discovery is shaking up its ad sales strategy, shuffling teams so that agencies will have a single point of contact to access all its inventory.
The move comes a year after the company set its initial post-merger leadership team, which previously prioritized company assets rather than agencies.
“Over the past year, we have been listening to our clients and partners and have seen firsthand what is delivering real value for them and great performance for us,” ad sales chief Jon Steinlauf said in a statement. “We are leveraging the power of our world-class content, platforms and partnerships to drive how the market works now—and for years to come.”
Marybeth Strobel and Greg Regis will lead the new agency-focused teams, with Strobel heading up the Regis, Omnicom, Magna and Dentsu accounts and Regis responsible for Publicis, GroupM and Horizon.
Jon Diament will manage a team for the entire WBD sports portfolio as part of a new sports structure that includes client partnerships with the NBA, NCAA, MLB and NHL. He’ll also be the primary contact for internal stakeholders like Bleacher Report.
In a newly created role, Ryan Gould will lead the digital team, including strategy for streaming assets Max, Discovery+, WBD Stream and CNN digital. That team also oversees the company’s advanced advertising, programmatic sales and data strategy.
Sheereen Russell will head up a new client partnership team for the company’s TV assets, as well as work with other divisions like theatrical, distribution, gaming and licensing.
Executives staying in their current roles include Laura Galietta, Robert Voltaggio and Andrea Zapata.
The new structure will roll out over the next several weeks, and Steinlauf plans for the newly formed team to be in the market by Labor Day.
Warner Bros. Discovery is still in the process of closing its upfront negotiations and may have more updates during its earnings call on Thursday.
NBCUniversal, Paramount and Fox have all wrapped negotiations in a slower-than-usual year.
