Lenny Daniels, who was president of Turner Sports before the company became part of Warner Bros. Discovery, is leaving the company, effective immediately.

The news was announced in a memo Monday from Luis Silberwasser, who left Univision to become chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery Sports in June. Silberwasser replaced Jeff Zucker, who had also run CNN before he resigned in February.

Silberwasser said that Daniels has agreed to help ensure a smooth transition. On an interim basis, the people reporting to Daniels will report to Silberwasser, according to the memo.

Daniels was a part of the Turner Sports team that built relationships with the National Basketball Association, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League.

He was also involved with the acquisition of Bleacher Report.

“I have enjoyed working with Lenny during these past few months and I respect his decision,” Silberwasser said. “Lenny has never been one to place a spotlight on himself; he’s always been quick to shine it on those around him. His enthusiasm and light-hearted demeanor are among his most endearing qualities, and they will be missed.”

With Warner Bros. Discovery under pressure from $50 billion in debt, there are questions about how the company will deal with the cost of sports rights, including the NBA, which is coming up for renewal.

But Silberwasser said in the memo to staffers that he is confident in the future of WBD Sports. 

“We have an enviable portfolio of premium sports assets, and we have the best creative, production and business teams in the industry,“ he said. “With all of you, we will continue to innovate, grow and make the important strategic decisions that set us up for long-term success in this new media landscape.” ■

Turner Sports has lifted Lenny Daniels to president, with day-to-day management oversight of the programmer’s unit.  

Daniels, who has been serving as executive vice president and COO for Turner Sports since 2009, will continue to report to Turner Broadcasting president David Levy, who has long headed the programmer’s sports portfolio.

In his newly expanded role, effective immediately, Daniels is responsible for daily oversight of production, programming, scheduling, league relations, business development, ad sales, marketing, digital, talent, events and operations.

Since 2009, Daniels has worked closely with Levy on leading overall strategy for the division, including acquisitions, programming and expansion of the company’s sports media rights. He played an integral part of Turner’s negotiations in 2012 with Major League Baseball on its media rights partnership, as well as Turner’s negotiations in 2010 with the NCAA to secure a 14-year agreement for the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. In 2012, Daniels played a primary role in Turner’s acquisition of Bleacher Report, a leading digital and mobile multi-sport destination.

During the 2014 version of March Madness, Daniels was widely credited with the development of ‘teamcast’ for Turner’s presentation of national semifinal games on TBS, TNT and truTV.  In addition to TBS airing the traditional Final Four telecasts, TNT and truTV introduced team-specific simulcasts tailored to the individual school’s competing in both games.

“Lenny is an outstanding executive and has played a key role in growing our portfolio of premium sports content,” said Levy.  “His creativity and long track record of content and production innovation, as well as his ability to develop and lead an extraordinary team have made a positive impact on Turner Sports.”

In 2005, Daniels, who joined Turner Broadcasting in 1996, was elevated to senior vice president of Turner Sports Production and New Media.  In this role, he was responsible for day-to-day operations of the division’s new media initiatives, the Creative Services Sports Unit and remote and production management.  During this time, Daniels played an instrumental role in the development of new digital partnerships with sports leagues, resulting in Turner’s management of PGA.com and PGATour.com, as well as creating a content and advertising partnership with Yahoo Sports.

Earlier in his tenure, Daniels served as vice president and senior director for Turner Sports’ coverage of the NBA and professional golf on TNT and college football and Atlanta Braves on TBS.  Additionally, he was senior director for the NFL on TNT, NBA All-Star Weekend and Wimbledon, as well as director of Goodwill Games telecasts.