Six of nine big-media leaders saw their share price fall, but only two suffered lower compensation
This story first appeared in the May 15 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
Most large media companies — except 21st Century Fox, Sony and Lionsgate — have reported CEO pay for 2014, and an obvious trend is how stock performance appears untethered to pay. Six of nine reporting companies saw their share prices fall, but only two CEOs saw their compensation cut. And media leaders continue to be paid more than their peers in other industries. On the list of the 10 highest-paid CEOs in the nation, five run media companies, according to research firm Equilar.
David Zaslav, Discovery Communications
Pay — $156.1 million, ↑ 360 percent
Stock performance — ↓ 25 percent
2014 financials — The parent of Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet and other cable networks increased revenue 13 percent to $6.3 billion and operating income 4 percent to $2.5 billion.
Details — Zaslav, 55, had a steady base salary of $3 million but was awarded $94.6 million in stock and $50.5 million in options in 2014.
Leslie Moonves, CBS
Pay — $57.2 million, ↓ 15 percent
Stock performance — ↓ 12 percent
2014 financials — Net income rose 57 percent to $3 billion even as revenue dropped 1 percent to $13.8 billion thanks to declines in the ad business.
Details — Moonves, 65, was paid the same base salary he received in 2013, $3.5 million, but his stock awards in 2014 were $12 million less, reflecting the drop in the company’s share price.
Philippe Dauman, Viacom
Pay — $44.3 million, ↑ 19 percent
Stock performance — ↓ 13 percent
2014 financials — Net earnings were down 1 percent to $2.4 billion amid ratings troubles at Viacom networks, and revenue was flat at $13.8 billion.
Details — Dauman, 61, got an 11 percent raise in base salary to $3.87 million and made a little more in every other category than the previous year. The biggest boost came from his annual stock awards, which totaled $12.4 million, up 37 percent.
Robert Iger, Walt Disney
Pay — $46.5 million, ↑ 36 percent
Stock performance — ↑ 25 percent
2014 financials — Net income rose 22 percent to $7.5 billion for Disney’s fiscal year as revenue climbed 8 percent to $48.8 billion thanks to ESPN, Frozen, Marvel Studios and booming theme parks.
Details — Iger, 64, also maintained his base salary, $2.5 million, but compensation from his nonequity incentive plan shot 68 percent higher to $22.8 million.
Josh Sapan, AMC Networks
Pay — $40.3 million, ↑ 323 percent
Stock performance — ↓ 6 percent
2014 financials — While revenue rose 37 percent to $2.2 billion at the parent of AMC, IFC and other cable networks, net income fell 10 percent to $260.8 million.
Details — Sapan, 64, got a 52 percent raise in base salary to $2 million, but his windfall in 2014 owed to $29.8 million in stock awards, up from $2.2 million a year earlier.
Steve Burke, NBCUniversal
Pay — $33.9 million, ↑ 9 percent
Stock performance (Comcast) — ↑ 13 percent
2014 financials — Operating income rose 18 percent to $5.6 billion on revenue that rose 8 percent to $25.4 billion, mostly on strength in TV.
Details — Burke, 56, got an 11 percent raise in base salary to $2.7 million plus a small boost in nearly every other category — the biggest being “other compensation,” where he earned $6.4 million, up 23 percent.
Jeffrey Bewkes, Time Warner
Pay — $32.9 million, ↑ 1 percent
Stock performance — ↑ 30 percent
2014 financials — Net income rose 4 percent to $3.8 billion on revenue that rose 3 percent to $27.4 billion thanks to strong performances at HBO and Warner Bros. Television.
Details — Pay for Bewkes, 62, is like the conglomerate’s financial performance: lately, a model of consistency. His base salary stayed $2 million, and most other categories barely budged.
Reed Hastings, Netflix
Pay — $11.1 million, ↑ 44 percent
Stock performance — ↓ 7 percent
2014 financials — The streaming pioneer grew its net income 137 percent to $266.8 million on revenue up 26 percent to $5.5 billion.
Details — Hastings, 54, got a 52 percent raise in base salary to $3 million and scored $8.1 million in option awards, up from $5.8 million a year earlier.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation
Pay — $6.4 million, ↓ 53 percent
Stock performance — ↓ 37 percent
2014 financials — DWA is restructuring. In 2014, the studio lost $310 million, reversing a $55 million profit a year earlier. Revenue fell 3 percent to $684.6 million.
Details — Katzenberg, 64, kept his base salary at $2.5 million but scored zero from his nonequity incentive plan in 2014 after making $6 million in that category a year earlier.
This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.
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