Warner Bros Discovery said yesterday it would restructure its advertising sales division, including the leadership team, as the entertainment major seeks to address a downturn in ad demand.

Advertising agency partners will now work with dedicated sales leaders and teams providing them with direct access to a variety of brands under the company’s umbrella, a Reuters report stated.

In the new leadership structure, Jon Diament will lead the ad and partner strategy, while Ryan Gould will take on a newly created role to head the digital team to oversee the company’s advertising, programmatic sales and data strategy.

Meanwhile, the WBD press statement, accessed by Indianbroadcastingworld.com, added a new sports structure would deliver dedicated league and partnership power.

The new strategy and structure was announced by Jon Steinlauf, Chief U.S. Advertising Sales Officer, Warner Bros. Discovery.

“Over the past year, we have been listening to our clients and partners and have seen first-hand what is delivering real value for them and great performance for us. This new structure will allow us to deliver what matters most for all – creating a single and seamless interface into the full world of WBD,” said Steinlauf in a statement.

“We are leveraging the power of our world-class content, platforms and partnerships to drive how the market works now – and for years to come,” he added.

The new agency-focused teams will be led by Marybeth Strobel and Greg Regis and will be responsible for sales across WBD’s complete portfolio. Among the top six holding companies, Publicis, GroupM and Horizon Media accounts will sit with Regis, and Omnicom, Magna and Dentsu will be led by Strobel, the statement elaborated.

Diament will drive the ad and partner strategy with a dedicated team for the entirety of the hugely successful WBD Sports portfolio. He will also manage relationships and development with over 100 WBD clients who are official partners of the NBA, NCAA, MLB and NHL.

Additionally, he will serve as the primary ad sales contact for internal stakeholders, including WBD Sports leadership and the General Manager of Bleacher Report, among others.

Ryan Gould will now lead the Digital Team in a newly created role, and set the strategic direction of the company’s suite of digital offerings, including Max, discovery+, WBD Stream and CNN digital.

That team will also oversee the company’s advanced advertising, programmatic sales and data strategy. Gould will also be the primary ad sales contact for WBD’s internal streaming and direct-to-consumer leadership stakeholders.

Sheereen Russell will oversee a new client partnerships team that will focus on client development and partnership strategy with key advertisers across the WBD linear and digital portfolio. This team will work more closely with other WBD divisions like theatrical, distribution, gaming and licensing for top line revenue optimization.

She will also continue to lead the Inclusive Ad Sales Solutions team, supporting brands seeking diverse audiences in front of and behind the camera.