HBO Max Head Andy Forssell Is Out Ahead Of Discovery Merger

In a bloodbath Tuesday at WarnerMedia ahead of the closing of the Discovery merger, add HBO Max head Andy Forssell to the list of exiting executives. Deadline has confirmed that he joins WarnerMedia studios and networks group chairman and CEO Ann Sarnoff and WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar who will also depart.

It’s been buzzed that Discovery CEO David Zaslav does not like layers. Well, three layers just got depleted. Indications are that the $43 billion merger is likely to officially close Friday.

JB Perrette, president and CEO of Discovery Streaming & International, had been widely speculated to be taking over the newly merged company’s combined direct-to-consumer streaming operation even before Forssell’s exit became official.

HBO Max and HBO programming chief Casey Bloys is expected to continue in a key role, likely similar to his current position, in Zaslav’s post-merger plans. We’re hearing that Warner Bros Motion Picture Group Studio chairman Toby Emmerich; Channing Dungey, chairman of Warner Bros Television; and Warner Bros COO Carolyn Blackwood are safe for the time being.

Interestingly enough, Forssell, Kilar and Sarnoff were part of a sit-down with media reporters back in October. This was perceived by some to be an exit tour for the trio, even though Kilar was mum at the time about his rumored departure. All three banged the drum about the rah-rah of HBO Max, how they’re returning to theatrical in 2022, that sequels were happening for Dune, which saw its grosses siphoned by HBO Max as the pic only made $108 million stateside.

Forssell mentioned to Deadline during the sit-down with him that there were no imminent plans for HBO Max to report ratings on its programming, saying that the various streamers as they come to greater strength will determine their means of benchmarking. To date, most of the viewership results for such big shows as Succession and Euphoria reported by the network have been a combined figure for both the linear and streaming service.

The biggest upset here is Sarnoff: Optically, some speculated it was wouldn’t look good for the new merger to see a high-level female executive exit; that some sort of new position would be offered under the new regime. Sarnoff’s exit email didn’t provide a solid answer as to why she was leaving, the exec writing with a sundry of accomplishments, “It’s never easy stepping into a leadership role, whether it’s at a 96-year-old studio or a newly formed business group, but in both cases I was confident in our ability to succeed because I was surrounded by the some of the smartest, most creative and most innovative teams I’ve ever worked with.”

We hear from sources that it didn’t make sense for Sarnoff to stay on in a reduced role, given Discovery’s penchant for de-layering. Sarnoff arrived at Warner Bros as CEO and eventually was tapped to oversee all content at the studios and networks. It just didn’t make sense for Sarnoff to stay.

The trio of executives’ exits come in the wake of Warner Bros’ Project Popcorn being a big embarrassment for the studio, both in regards to talent relations and hefty payouts to talent for maneuvering not a gradual theatrical day-and-date plan in 2021 but one that impacted the entire annual slate, starting with Wonder Woman 1984. Kilar has trumpeted the 73 million-plus global HBO Max subscriber number. Apparently, the new administration coming in doesn’t care.