Highly-Paid Entertainment Chief Executives (Averaged $31.66 Million), 2022

Netflix’s executive chairman and former co-CEO Reed Hastings is the top-paid entertainment chief executive officer (CEO) of 2022 based on compensation disclosures. CEO compensation last year averaged about $31.66 million for 14 CEOs at 12 media companies (Netflix has co-CEOs), with two executives (Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos) crossing the $50 million mark.

Reed Hastings raked in approximately $51.1 million in total compensation last year, up from the $40.8 million he received in 2021. His package included a $650,000 base salary, approximately $49.4 million in stock options and $1 million in other compensation, including personal use of the company’s aircraft and $212 for car services. Hastings decided to step down in January. Reed Hastings has passed over his duties to co-CEO Ted Sarandos and COO Greg Peters. Netflix has famously allowed executives to choose how they want to be paid, in cash or stock. Ted Sarandos has tended to take cash, and saw a $20 million base salary. (Hastings took almost all of his pay last year in stock options as he usually does.)

Ted Sarandos (Netflix’s co-CEO) brought in approximately $50.3 million, compared to his $38.2 million package in 2021. The package was comprised of a $20 million base salary, $28.5 million in stock options and $1.8 million from other compensation, including $11,299 for car services, $336,148 for personal use of the company’s aircraft and $1,427,129 in residential security costs.

Greg Peters (Netflix’s co-CEO) received a total pay package of $28.1 million in 2022, compared to the $20.37 million package in 2021. The 2022 compensation was comprised of a $16 million base salary, $11.5 million in stock options and $617,263 in other compensation, including $510,375 for personal use of the company’s aircraft, $1,579 for car services, $49,864 in tax penalties arising from Peters’ prior expatriate assignment and $55,445 in related tax gross-up.

Adam Aron, CEO and Chairman of the Board of AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. received compensation of $23.7 million in 2022, up 25 percent from $18.9 million in 2021. That included a base salary of $1.5 million, no cash bonus, $16.2 million in stock awards and $6 million in non-equity incentive plan compensation. Aron’s base salary rose to $1.5 million in 2022, from $1.45 million a year earlier. Sean D. Goodman, Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President at AMC Entertainment Holdings, received $6.27 million in overall compensation in 2022, up from a year-earlier $4.7 million pay package.

Endeavor CEO Ariel Zev Emanuel took home just over $19 million in salary and bonuses for 2022 after previously earning an eye-popping $308 million payout in 2021. Emanuel took home $4 million in flat salary in 2022, with another $8.2 million paid in bonuses along with $6 million in non-equity incentive compensation and $868,011 in “other compensation.” Endeavor CFO Jason Lublin took home $18.5 million in 2022, while Endeavor president and COO Mark Shapiro earned $18.7 million, and Endeavor executive chairman Patrick Whitesell took home $12.1 million.
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See a list of chief executives and their pay below.

1. Reed Hastings (Founder and Executive Chairman at Netflix)
   2022: $51.1 million
   2021: $40.8 million
   Up 25%
2. Ted Sarandos (Co-CEO at Netflix)
   2022: $50.3 million
   2021: $38.2 million
   Up 32%
3. Perry A. Sook (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nexstar)
   2022: $39.3 million
   2021: $21.1 million
   Up 86%
4. David Zaslav (Chief Executive Officer and President of Warner Bros)
   2022: $39.3 million
   2021: $246.6 million
   Down 84%
5. Tom Rutledge (Charter Communications, executive chairman, stepped down as CEO on Dec. 1)
   2022: $39.2 million
   2021: $41.9 million
   Down 6.3%
6. Brian L. Roberts (chairman and CEO of Comcast)
   2022: $32.1 million
   2021: $33.9 million
   Down 5.6%
7. Robert M. Bakish (Bob Bakish) (President and Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Global)
   2022: $32 million
   2021: $20 million
   Up 60%
8. Greg Peters (Co-CEO at Netflix)
   2022: $28.1 million
   2021: $20.37 million
9. Bob Chapek (was CEO of The Walt Disney Company from 2020 to 2022)
   FY 2022: $24.2 million
   FY 2021: $32.5 million
   Down 25%
10. Adam Aron (CEO and Chairman of the Board of AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc.)
    2022: $23.7 million
    2021: $18.9 million
    Up 25%
11. Gregory Maffei (President and CEO of Liberty Media)
    2022: $22.4 million
    2021: $21.6 million
    Up 4%
12. Lachlan K. Murdoch (Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Fox Corporation, and co-chairman of News Corp.)
    FY 2022: $21.7 million
    FY 2021: $27.7 million
    Down 21%
13. Anthony J. Wood (CEO of Roku, Inc.)
    2022: $20.9 million
    2021: $18.1 million
    Up 16%
14. Ariel Zev Emanuel (CEO of Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc.)
    2022: $19 million
    2021: $300 million
    Down 94%

Worth mentioning: Charlie Collier, the new president of Roku Media, received a total compensation package of $53.3 million in 2022. Collier earned a base salary of $1.075 million, with a stock awards package of $23,279,331 and option awards of $28,925,320. Other compensation totaled $25,245. Collier’s pay package more than doubled that of founder CEO Anthony J. Wood, who took home $20.9 million, up from $18.1 million in 2021. Wood’s base salary of $1.2 million has remained the same for the past three years. But he received $19.8 million in option awards this year, up from $16.9 million in 2021. Wood, however, owns about 12.8% of the company stock, worth a little over $1 billion.

Charlie Collier exited his position as CEO of Fox Entertainment last year to join Roku, Inc. as president of Roku Media, presiding over the Roku Channel’s content and ad sales. Roku CFO Steve Louden saw his total salary increase to $8.5 million from $5.5 million in 2021. His base salary hit $1.6 million in 2022, after receiving $700,000 for the prior two years, and his option awards increased to $6.9 million from $4.8 million.

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