 HBO “Synergies,” Murdoch’s Empire, Elon’s Next Moves Welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon guide to what’s new at Puck.
Today, we lead with Dylan Byers’ inside reporting on the real numbers behind CNN+’s rocky launch—the Quibi comparisons are premature—the Kilar mess, Zaslav’s big night in D.C., and the star anchor in Chris Licht’s cross hairs.
Plus, below the fold: Julia Alexander reveals what it will take for HBO to rival Netflix. Matt Belloni predicts what’s next for the post-Rupert Murdoch media empire (on a new episode of The Town). And watch your inbox later tonight for a special edition of Dry Powder, as William D. Cohan explains what Wall Street is really thinking about Elon Musk and Twitter.
The fact that CNN+ is getting clobbered in the trade press is, if anything, a welcome development for the new ownership, insofar as it provides them cloud cover for a do-over. Oh, and they’re targeting Jon Karl, too. On his very first day as the C.E.O. of the finally-combined Warner Bros. Discovery—a mammoth public entity that includes the famous studio, HBO, the Turner assets and much more—David Zaslav flew to Washington to spend the majority of his day with the incoming CNN President Chris Licht and various network talent and producers. CNN is hardly the most significant asset in Zaslav’s $63 billion portfolio, and yet after all the network has been through in the last three months—the sudden and dramatic ouster of former president Jeff Zucker, the angst and uncertainty surrounding the flaccid launch of CNN+, the devastating war in Ukraine, which CNN has covered with dignified aplomb—you can understand why he may have felt the need to take a gut check and steady frayed nerves. The visit, which included a tour of the bureau and several meet-and-greets with producers and talent, culminated with a dinner at Charlie Palmer Steakhouse hosted by Zaslav and Licht and attended by a familiar stable of top CNN talent—Wolf Blitzer, Dana Bash, Kaitlan Collins—as well as Discovery C.O.O. David Leavy, among others.
Monday’s agenda also included multiple meetings about the future of CNN+, the $300-million-a-year streaming service that already faces an uncertain future less than two weeks after its launch…
FOUR STORIES WE’RE TALKING ABOUT 
Senior strategy analyst and Puck contributor Julia Alexander lays out the blueprints for a WBD streaming takeover.
JULIA ALEXANDER 
Puck’s Belloni chats with NYT writer-at-large Jim Rutenberg about the Murdoch Universe in advance of a new CNN+ show.
MATTHEW BELLONI 
The atrocities in Bucha sent the world reeling. For Zelensky’s inner circle, it’s led to a powerful new conviction.
JULIA IOFFE 
Tesla’s C.E.O. is now Twitter’s largest shareholder. Should Parag Agrawal be preparing for war, or is it already too late?
WILLIAM D. COHAN
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