Warner Bros. Discovery Sports laid off dozens of staffers today. Around 70 people lost their jobs today in a round of across-the-board cuts that affected Turner Sports, Bleacher Report and the company’s studio operations in Atlanta. Most of the layoffs came from Turner Sports and Bleacher Report staffers. All told, WBD Sports cut a little more than 10% of its workforce, counting both people that were let go and open positions that will remain unfilled.
In an email sent to WBD Sports employees this afternoon, WBD Sports Chair & CEO Luis Silberwasser acknowledged that it had been “an emotional and challenging day for everyone.” But he also said that WBD Sports needed to make the cuts to stay competitive in the sports media marketplace. His message was clear: it was a tough decision made amid a larger industry trend of cutbacks. “Our reality is we must evolve to position WBD and our Sports division for long-term success against an environment that includes a challenging macroeconomic forecast, as well as headwinds from the accelerated changes in our media industry and business model,” Silberwasser wrote. "Today’s actions are necessary as we transform and evolve our business, as we remain focused on delivering best-in-class product, talent and digital experiences for our fans.”
It appears that WBD Sports still will be active when it comes to negotiating for available sports rights. The on-screen programming quality is not expected to suffer as a result of these cuts.
