WBD ups Royce Battleman to lead global acquisitions team

Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) is pulling its content acquisition teams for streaming into a central division, overseen by Royce Battleman.

She becomes exec vice-president of global content acquisitions and will have oversight of all content pick-ups across north America, Lat Am, Europe and Asia.

Battleman, who was previously head of US content acquisitions for the company’s networks and streamers, reports into WBD chief financial and strategy officer for streaming, Joshua Walker.

The rejig involves a host of execs around the world, including EMEA’s Ragnhild Thorbech, APAC’s Magdalene Ew, LatAm’s Andres Mendoza, and Elizabeth Bannan and Tiffany Tulba in the US.

All remain in their previous roles but fall under Battleman’s newly minted division. No jobs are being cut, according to Variety which broke the news.

“Establishing this global team allows us to better manage worldwide and multi-regional content partners and optimize deals across all regions,” said Walker.

“The structure will ensure that our acquisitions are tightly aligned with our global content strategy, planning and analysis, and financials for Max and discovery+ platforms worldwide.”

WBD added that the “combined team” would play “a pivotal role in shaping the acquired content strategies for Max and Discovery+, ensuring that their offerings remain innovative, engaging, and compelling for global audiences.”