Zeiler to oversee all ad operations

AT&T said it was merging its Xandr advanced advertising unit into WarnerMedia.

Gerhard Zeiler, who is WarnerMedia’s chief revenue officer and president of WarnerMedia International, will oversee all advertising operations across AT&T.

The two companies had been increasingly working together. They had planned to have a joint upfront presentation in May. That presentation was cancelled as the COVID-19 epidemic spread.

Related: Stankey: WarnerMedia, Xandr Must Work Together Better

The move follows the promotion of WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey to CEO of AT&T and the departure of Xandr CEO Brian Lesser.

​Kirk McDonald, chief business officer at Xandr will continue to lead Xandr, reporting directly to Zeiler.

“We are in unprecedented times that amplify the priority across both WarnerMedia and Xandr, to deliver valuable results and outcomes for our agencies and clients,” said Zeiler. “Now more than ever, we need to simplify advertising and further our marketplace capabilities for our customers. This is done through one holistic conversation that spans premium content and trusted environments, alongside proven and advanced ad capabilities.”