Discovery CEO’s 2012 pay package approaches $50 million

Honey Boo Boo should be getting a nice box of chocolates in the mail.

David Zaslav, the chief executive of cable programming giant Discovery Communications, had a 2012 compensation package worth $49.9 million, according to the company’s proxy statement.

Besides Discovery Channel, Discovery Communications also owns TLC, home to the reality show “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.” Other Discovery Channels include Animal Planet and Discovery ID. It also is partners with Oprah Winfrey on the OWN Network and with Hasbro on the Hub, a cable channel aimed at kids and families.

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While a pay package worth $49.9 million is nothing to sneeze at, it is actually a reduction from 2011, when Zaslav’s compensation was valued at $52.4 million. His 2010 package was worth $42.6 million. Zaslav’s base salary for 2012 was $3 million. His stock and options grants were worth more than $41 million and there was another $5.8 million in other forms of compensation.

Zaslav is not the only media CEO who saw his package shrink in 2012. Viacom Chief Executive Chief Philippe Dauman’s 2012 had a compensation package of $33.5 million in the year that ended Sept. 30, down 22% from the previous year.

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