Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) details Zaslav option, RSU awards
Filing Impact
Filing Sentiment
Form Type
8-K
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Warner Bros. Discovery detailed previously agreed changes to Chief Executive Officer David Zaslav’s long-term equity compensation. Under a June 2025 amended and restated employment agreement, he received a follow-on grant of 3,052,734 stock options on January 2, 2026, with an exercise price equal to the Company’s Series A common stock closing price of $28.51, compared with the earlier signing options priced at $10.16. Because the follow-on options carry a higher exercise price, the Compensation Committee approved a make‑whole grant of restricted stock units covering 1,963,465 shares of common stock on January 5, 2026 to address the lost economic value, with vesting terms aligned to the existing option awards.
Positive
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Negative
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8-K Event Classification
2 items: 5.02, 9.01
2 items
Item 5.02
Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers
Governance
Key personnel changes including departures, elections, or appointments of directors and executive officers.
Item 9.01
Financial Statements and Exhibits
Exhibits
Financial statements, pro forma financial information, and exhibit attachments filed with this report.
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 5, 2026
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Commission File Number: 001-34177
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) | |||||||
(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)
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Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
As previously disclosed on a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on June 16, 2025, as amended on June 17, 2025, Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (“we,” “us,” “our” or the “Company”) and our wholly-owned subsidiary, Discovery Communications, LLC, entered into an employment agreement with David Zaslav, our Chief Executive Officer, on June 12, 2025 (the “A&R Zaslav Agreement”), pursuant to which Mr. Zaslav was granted a special award of stock options under the Amended & Restated Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) concurrently with the execution of the A&R Zaslav Agreement (the “Signing Stock Options”), each with an exercise price of $10.16.
The A&R Zaslav Agreement also provided that, on January 2, 2026, Mr. Zaslav would receive an additional grant of 3,052,734 stock options under the Plan with the same terms and conditions applicable to the Signing Stock Options, but with an exercise price equal to the closing price of the Company’s Series A common stock (“common stock”) on January 2, 2026 (the “Follow-On Options”). The closing price of the Company’s common stock on January 2, 2026 was $28.51. The Follow-On Options were granted pursuant to the A&R Zaslav Agreement on January 2, 2026, with the terms and conditions of such options set forth in an option grant agreement entered into with Mr. Zaslav on January 2, 2026 (the “Follow-On Option Agreement”).
The A&R Zaslav Agreement further provided that if the exercise price of the Follow-On Options exceeded that of the Signing Stock Options, the parties would discuss how to make up for the lost economic value attributable to the higher exercise price.
After consideration of the potential methodologies for making up the lost economic value, including certain approaches expressly set forth in the A&R Zaslav Agreement, the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company determined that granting restricted stock units with a grant date value equal to the aggregate differential, as contemplated in the A&R Zaslav Agreement, was the most appropriate method to address the impact of the higher stock price on the economic value of the Follow-On Options, while continuing to align Mr. Zaslav’s compensation incentives with the interests of shareholders. Accordingly, on January 5, 2026, Mr. Zaslav was granted restricted stock units in respect of 1,963,465 shares of our common stock (the “Make-Whole RSUs”). The vesting terms and conditions of the Make-Whole RSUs are the same as those that remain applicable to the Signing Stock Options and are set forth in the RSU grant agreement entered into with Mr. Zaslav on January 5, 2026 (the “Make-Whole Grant Agreement”).
The summary provided above of certain provisions of the A&R Zaslav Agreement, the Follow-On Option Agreement and the Make-Whole Grant Agreement does not purport to be complete, and is qualified in its entirety by the actual text of the A&R Zaslav Agreement, which was filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 16, 2025, and each of the Follow-On Option Agreement and the Make-Whole Grant Agreement, which are filed with this Current Report on Form 8-K as Exhibits 10.1 and 10.2, respectively, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
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Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit Number | Description | ||||
| 10.1 | Form of David Zaslav Non-Qualified Stock Option Grant Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit (e)(69) to WBD’s Schedule 14D-9/A filed on January 7, 2026) | ||||
| 10.2 | Form of David Zaslav RSU Grant Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit (e)(70) to WBD’s Schedule 14D-9/A filed on January 7, 2026) | ||||
| 101 | Inline XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document | ||||
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) | ||||
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| Date: January 7, 2026 | WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY, INC. | |||||||||||||
| By: | /s/ Tara L. Smith | |||||||||||||
| Name: | Tara L. Smith | |||||||||||||
| Title: | Executive Vice President and Corporate Secretary | |||||||||||||
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FAQ
What executive compensation changes did Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) report?
The Company reported that CEO David Zaslav received a follow‑on grant of 3,052,734 stock options on January 2, 2026 and a make‑whole grant of 1,963,465 restricted stock units (RSUs) on January 5, 2026, all under his amended and restated employment agreement.
What is the exercise price of David Zaslav’s new follow-on stock options at WBD?
The follow‑on stock options granted to David Zaslav on January 2, 2026 have an exercise price equal to the closing price of Warner Bros. Discovery’s Series A common stock that day, which was $28.51 per share.
How do David Zaslav’s follow-on options compare to his earlier signing options at WBD?
Mr. Zaslav’s earlier signing stock options were granted with an exercise price of $10.16 per share, while the follow‑on options issued on January 2, 2026 have an exercise price of $28.51, leading to a higher strike price and lower initial intrinsic value for the follow‑on options.
Why did Warner Bros. Discovery grant make-whole RSUs to David Zaslav?
The amended and restated employment agreement stated that if the follow‑on option exercise price exceeded that of the signing options, the parties would address the lost economic value. After reviewing alternatives, the Compensation Committee chose to grant 1,963,465 make‑whole RSUs with a grant date value equal to the aggregate differential.
What are the vesting terms for David Zaslav’s make-whole RSUs at WBD?
The make‑whole RSUs granted to David Zaslav on January 5, 2026 have vesting terms and conditions that are the same as those that remain applicable to his signing stock options, as set out in the RSU grant agreement.
Where can investors find the full text of David Zaslav’s equity agreements with WBD?
The amended and restated employment agreement is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to a prior Schedule 14D‑9/A, while the follow‑on option grant agreement and the make‑whole RSU grant agreement are filed as Exhibits 10.1 and 10.2, respectively, and are incorporated by reference.