Jon Steinlauf, who navigated waves of corporate mergers in recent years en route to becoming head of U.S. ad sales at Warner Bros. Discovery, is leaving the company later this year.The news was shared internally Friday by Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer Bruce Campbell.Steinlauf presided over nearly three dozen linear cable networks and also the advertising tier of Max. He had held the top ad post at Scripps Networks Interactive, which merged with Discovery in 2018. After becoming one of the few Scripps execs to take on a top role at Discovery, Steinlauf then ascended to the highest ad perch at Warner Bros. Discovery after the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery in 2022. Steinlauf also previously worked at Turner and ESPN.The departure follows the news that Kathleen Finch, a former colleague of Steinlauf’s at Scripps and Discovery who became Chairman and CEO of U.S. Networks at Warner Bros. Discovery, is also planning to depart.Warner Bros. Discovery’s traditional TV business has come under intense pressure due to cord-cutting and other factors. The company last August booked a $9 billion write-down on the value of its cable networks, citing the loss of NBA rights starting in mid-2025. NBA telecasts have been a staple on TNT for nearly four decades.Campbell called Steinlauf “one of the industry’s most respected and well-known ad sales executives and has had an incredible career here at Warner Bros. Discovery through the major mergers, transformations, and industry pivots. He’s been a critical part of our leadership at the company, and someone both [CEO David Zaslav] and I have come to rely on for many years.”
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