Since the merger, David Zaslav's new focus for the WBD has been to become more of a "content company" versus "just a cable company".
19 Facts About David Zaslav
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In 2018, David Zaslav oversaw Discovery's acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive, which owned networks such as Food Network, HGTV, and DIY Network, for $14.6 billion.
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The combined company was renamed Discovery, Inc Prior to Discovery, David Zaslav worked at NBCUniversal where he helped develop and launch the cable channels CNBC and MSNBC.
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David Zaslav was born into a Jewish family in New York City's Brooklyn borough on January 15,1960.
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David Zaslav's family was part of the diaspora from Poland and Ukraine.
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David Zaslav started his career as an attorney with LeBoeuf, Lamb, Lieby and MacRae in New York.
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David Zaslav's responsibilities extended to Bravo, CNBC World, SCI FI, ShopNBC, Sleuth, Telemundo, Telemundo Puerto Rico, mun2, Trio, Universal HD, USA Network, NBC Weather Plus and the Olympics on cable.
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David Zaslav became CEO of Discovery Communications in November 16,2006, succeeding Judith McHale.
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David Zaslav instigated a shift in strategy by the company, aiming to see itself as a "content company" rather than a "cable company" by bolstering its main networks as multi-platform brands.
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Since August 2022, David Zaslav has received immense criticism from audiences for his decision to cancel projects in order to claim tax write-offs.
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Discovery, David Zaslav appointed Chris Licht as CEO of CNN in 2022.
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In February 2024, a group of US congressmen sent a letter to David Zaslav criticizing World's Ultimate Frontier, a joint production between Discovery and Chinese state media outlet China Global Television Network, for "whitewashing genocide" of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
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David Zaslav partnered with Disney CEO Bob Iger and Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch in a joint venture to create a sports streaming service, named Venu Sports, that would be run by former Apple executive Pete Distad.
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David Zaslav serves on the boards of Sirius XM, American Cinematheque, Grupo Televisa, and Syracuse University.
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David Zaslav is a member of the board of trustees for the Paley Center for Media.
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David Zaslav is a member of the Executive Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is a member of the Television Academy.
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In 2014, Zaslav was awarded the Fred Dressler Leadership Award by Syracuse University's S I Newhouse School of Public Communications.
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In 2017, David Zaslav was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame and is a member of the Cable TV Pioneers Class of 2018.
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David Zaslav's daughter, Ali, is a congressional producer with CNN.