I give Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav credit for not giving a flying f*ck about what social media, or the industry at large, thinks about him. This guy is all about the bottom line, and if saving some cash means, for example, canceling already-shot movies then so be it.
So, is it any surprise that Zaslav has turned into one of the very few industry people who actually has positive things to say about a second Donald Trump presidency? I’m not surprised. A few years back, the “most hated man in Hollywood” had stated that Trump could represent good business.
This morning, during a third-quarter earnings call, Zaslav suggested that Trump’s second term could provide an “opportunity for consolidation” and that it would be a “real positive” for the entertainment industry.
Discussing “outright consolidation of an industry that is in a generational disruption” during the company’s third-quarter earnings conference call on Thursday, Zaslav said: “We have an upcoming new administration. It’s too early to tell, but it may offer a pace of change and an opportunity for consolidation that may be quite different, that would provide a real positive and accelerated impact on this industry that’s needed.”
Zaslav, who refused to publicly endorse either Presidential candidate, believes a Trump DOJ will let him snatch up more independent studios and streaming services since, in his words, there are currently “so many” out there waiting to be snatched up.
Meanwhile, film Twitter, or whatever we call it now, is losing it over these latest comments from Zaslav — he’s turned into their de facto Lex Luthor. It’s not like Zaslav cares about the hate he gets, if anything he soaks it all up and doubles down on his hijinks. Bless his capitalist heart.