Kevin Mayer, Disney’s former Chairman of Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International and the man most credited with the successful launch of Disney+, might be tapped by WarnerMedia-Discovery to lead whatever streaming initiatives the impending media giant has in store.

Mayer exited Disney to become the CEO of TikTok for a few months, but left when the popular video streaming app faced a potential ban by the Trump administration.

Mayer is currently heading up DAZN, a sports streaming service. But the opportunity to go head-to-head with his former employers at The Mouse House could lure him over to Discovery.

From The New York Post…

While one source close to the situation cautioned that it’s too early to speculate and no decisions have been made, another noted that Mayer is friendly with a number of Discovery and WarnerMedia insiders, including Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav.

(…) Meanwhile WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar appears to be on his way out, and the big question is what will it cost AT&T. According to securities filings, Kilar is eligible to get cash and stock options worth $53 million after just a year on the job. But Kilar has also reportedly hired lawyers as he negotiates his exit, which has some AT&T insiders on edge.

It would be an incredibly savvy move for WarnerMedia-Discovery to bring Mayer onboard in some capacity. The word on the street is that it was the success of Disney+ that lead to AT&T spinning off WarnerMedia into a new company with Discovery to try and take down Disney.

Mayer might have some unfinished business with Disney, as some insiders think he left at the height of his success because Disney snubbed him for the CEO role.

The streaming wars are about to get real. Grab popcorn.

[Source: NY Post]