Warner Bros. Discovery ( WBD ) CEO David Zaslav is set to earn over $600 million in payments after the Hollywood studio’s $110 billion acquisition by Paramount Skydance .

Zaslav could receive $34.2 million in cash severance payments, $115.8 million in vested stock, and $517.2 million in unvested share awards once the deal is complete, according to a regulatory filing on Monday.

The chief executive of the studio, one of the best-paid executives in Hollywood, is also expecting tax reimbursements of up to $335.4 million.

Zaslav Sells Shares After Paramount Deal

The report comes after Zaslav recently cashed out a portion of his stake in the media company amid the Paramount acquisition. The CEO sold 4,004,149 WBD shares valued at $114,118,246 according to an SEC filing. The shares were all acquired as compensation from the company during the period from January 2023 to February 2026.

Zaslav has been the company’s CEO since April 2022, having previously served as CEO of Discovery prior to its merger with Warner Bros.

On Sunday, Warner Bros. Discovery ( WBD ) stole the spotlight for bagging 11 Oscars, led by ‘One Battle After Another‘, a film by Paul Thomas Anderson, which won six awards, including best picture, best director, and best supporting actor. However, the celebrations were somewhat overshadowed by the impending sale of the studio.

WBD Price Action: On a year-to-date basis, WBD shares declined 3.51%, as per data from Benzinga Pro. The shares are trading up 0.87% at $27.75 on Tuesday.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by a Benzinga editor.

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