The highest-earning Hollywood executive from the previous year is no longer active in the industry, having departed over a year prior to that timeframe.
Following his impressive severance package valued at approximately $69.3 million, making it higher than any other reported compensation across industries, Bob Bakish, ex-CEO of Paramount Global, now leads the annual earnings ranking. In contrast, the trio who took over from him – collectively known as “The Office of the CEO,” consisting of Chris McCarthy, George Cheeks, and Brian Robbins – each received compensation packages worth around $20 million.
Back in April, it was officially announced that Bakish stepped down as Paramount’s owner, Shari Redstone, was engaged in extensive negotiations with David Ellison’s Skydance, RedBird Capital, KKR concerning a deal aimed at shifting ownership of the iconic studio from the Redstone family to the Ellisons. When Bakish left his position, there were whispers that there was a significant disagreement between him and Redstone regarding which potential buyer would be more suitable.
Regarding the new co-CEOs of Paramount, who are acting as interim leaders until the Skydance deal is finalized, their combined earnings are similar to those of Ted Sarandos, the co-chief executive at Netflix. Sarandos was reported to have received the highest compensation among active top executives in the industry, with his co-CEO Greg Peters not far behind. In 2024, both Sarandos and Peters saw a pay increase. When compared to the rest of the executives listed by The Hollywood Reporter, their earnings changes were roughly balanced.
Despite some changes, it’s worth noting that a consistent pattern persisted. In many cases, the remuneration packages of top Hollywood executives surpassed the median total compensation for this year’s Equilar 100 list. This list is created by a data firm, based on annual disclosures of the largest companies across various sectors regarding their compensation. The Equilar 100 median total pay stood at approximately $25.6 million, marking a significant 9.5% increase from the previous year’s figures for the same group of companies. (Note: This information was released towards the end of March, so some key players in the entertainment industry might not be included.)
According to Amit Batish, senior director of content at Equilar, who analyzed data from THR’s comprehensive report on the entertainment industry’s compensation, it is common for top earners to receive significant long-term stock or option rewards. This trend persists even when some companies are experiencing poor stock performance. The media and entertainment sector is known for its continuous evolution, and both businesses and their boards often prioritize long-term stability in executive roles. This emphasis on consistency might be the reason why many of these compensation packages surpass the median value found in their study.
In a broader comparison, across various sectors, the highest-earning executive is Jim Anderson, CEO of Coherent Corp., who manufactures network and laser equipment. His total compensation package was approximately $101.5 million. Microsoft’s Satya Nadella ranks fourth with $79.1 million, while Apple’s Tim Cook comes in third place with a compensation of around $74.6 million.
Bob Iger, Disney’s CEO, ranks 12th on that list with earnings surpassing $40 million. In 2023, his compensation amounted to approximately $31.6 million, primarily in the form of stock and option awards. Notably, although not included in the aforementioned list as they are not CEOs, Disney’s CFO, Hugh Johnston, received a remuneration package worth around $24.5 million last year, while the company’s chief legal and compliance officer, Horacio Guttierez, was compensated to the tune of $15.8 million.
Ari Emanuel is another notable figure on this list. In 2024, CEO of TKO, Ari Emanuel was given a package worth $18.1 million, which was a significant decrease from the $65 million he received the year before. (However, it was later disclosed by Endeavor in March that Emanuel received a payment of $174 million as part of its private takeover deal in 2025.) Additionally, Dwayne Johnson, who is not a CEO but owns WWE and UFC through TKO, also received substantial compensation. His stock compensation amounted to $29.9 million for his role on the board of directors.
Amongst the Top 100 Equilar firms, stock award values soared by an impressive 40.5% in the past year. This trend indicates that companies are progressively inclined to provide higher compensation packages to attract and hold onto top-tier employees, often through long-term rewards directly linked to company performance, as an expert notes.
Jennifer Witz, SiriusXM’s CEO, saw an extraordinary 415% increase in annual compensation compared to the previous year, marking the most significant growth among her peers. This substantial boost was due to receiving stock awards worth $16.2 million and option awards amounting to $16.5 million. Notably, she did not receive any such awards in 2023. These rewards were part of long-term equity incentives that covered a three-year period related to the renewal of her employment contract.
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2025-05-08 16:24