Warner Bros. announced in regulatory documents on April 19th that CEO David Zaslav's salary for 2023 was $49.7 million, a 27% increase from 2022. This number is more than three times the median compensation of $15.6 million for S&P 500 index CEOs disclosed as of the end of March.
Zaslav's total salary includes $3 million in salary, $23 million in cash flow linked stock rewards, and $22 million in guaranteed cash rewards. He also received company benefits, including personal security fees worth over $700000 for his private residence and $768000 for the use of a business jet.
Warner Bros. explored a narrowing of net losses and a decrease in revenue last year, but Zaslav's stock rewards were linked to free cash flow, and the company's free cash nearly doubled from last year to $6.16 billion under active debt repayment.