Warner Bros. Discovery Is Splitting Into Two Companies (but Which Gets DC?)

Warner Bros. Discovery is splitting into two separate companies — a “Streaming & Studios” company led by WBD CEO David Zaslav and a “Global Networks” company led by CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels, with the various divisions of WBD divided among them. For comic book and superhero fans, the Streaming & Studios half of this division is the one to keep an eye on, as that’s where DC Studios is headed. That means the DC Universe will still be under Zaslav’s supervision, along with all “Elseworlds” productions like The Batman Epic Crime Saga series. According to WBD’s press release, the point of this move is to maximize the potential of both companies, so hopefully this creates more opportunities for the DCU.

“The cultural significance of this great company and the impactful stories it has brought to life for more than a century have touched countless people all over the world. It’s a treasured legacy we will proudly continue in this next chapter of our celebrated history,” Zaslav said on Monday. “By operating as two distinct and optimized companies in the future, we are empowering these iconic brands with the sharper focus and strategic flexibility they need to compete most effectively in today’s evolving media landscape.”

In addition to DC Studios, Zaslav’s Streaming & Studios company will include Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, Warner Bros. Television, HBO, and the streaming service HBO Max. Wiedenfels’ Global Networks company will focus more on brands associated with cable television — Discovery, CNN, TNT, and Bleacher Report. That could be good news for DC, which doesn’t seem to be losing any relevant connections or distribution platforms. However, the exact finer points of this new plan haven’t been revealed publicly just yet.

[RELATED: Harry Potter: How the Reboot Can Build a Better Wizarding World Franchise]

WBD claims that the benefits of this separation are mainly flexibility and speed. Separately, these companies will be able to make deals and decisions more quickly, without considering the implications for all the other divisions under the same umbrella. The separation won’t be complete until mid-2026, which means we likely won’t see the tangible results of this change until well after that.

Warner Bros. Discovery a controversial merger when it took effect in the spring of 2022. At the time, the company boasted the increased leverage it would have as one big conglomerate, as well as the combination of the popular Discovery+ streaming service with the Warner Bros. IP library. Now, the separation is breaking those assets apart again, and commenters on social media have definitely caught on.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s separation into two separate companies is just beginning, and in the meantime, the company will continue to function as before. The deal will take effect sometime in mid-2026.