David Decker will take on the role of president of content sales at Warner Bros. Discovery, effective January 2, 2023, replacing longtime executive Jim Wuthrich, who plans to retire from the company at the end of this year.
Decker will report to Bruce Campbell, the company’s chief revenue and strategy officer. Decker will b e tasked with supervising a division responsible for licensing and distributing all WBD-produced film, television, animation, and digital content to all third-party platforms across North America, as well as direct-to-consumer digital and physical retail sales.
“Licensing our world-class content to premier partners is one of Warner Bros. Discovery’s strategic pillars and will be a key driver of our Company in the years ahead,” said Campbell in a prepared statement. “I’m excited to see David’s expertise and collaborative leadership style applied to the whole of our Content Distribution business.”
Decker, who has worked for Warner Bros. for 18 years, was previously executive vice president of content licensing. He has brokered deals involving the sale of “The Jennifer Hudson Show” to local television stations across the United States. In a previous role he supervised both domestic and international activities including the distribution of WB programming to all television and SVOD outlets around the world, and led business operations for Warner Bros.’ syndication production arm responsible for programs such “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “TMZ.” Before joining Warner Bros. and Telepictures, Decker spent six years at Stone Stanley Entertainment.
Decker holds a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola and a bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College.
Wuthrich drove the development and growth of in-home entertainment, from the introduction of DVD to the ongoing transition to digital. He pioneered the development of digital ownership formats and the global licensing of Warner Bros. content and ran WB Interactive for many years. He also led the team responsible for the theatrical windowing strategy that maximized the exposure and value of WB Pictures’ films after they left the theater.
“Jim brought tremendous value and industry-defining strategy to Warner Bros. It is truly remarkable, and we thank him for that,’ Campbell said. “If you know Jim, you know it will be interesting to see what he does next. I know I’ll be watching.”