Sam Register, President of Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, is leaving the company after nearly three decades, with Warner Bros. Television Group chief Channing Dungey announcing that his contract will not be renewed. The departure comes at a sensitive moment for the studio, as parent company Warner Bros Discovery faces a pending acquisition by Paramount, which operates its own animation business and leadership, though it remains unclear whether Register's exit is connected to the deal.

Register joined Warner Bros Animation in 2007 as a producer, rose to EVP of Creative Affairs within a year, and was named president in 2014, having previously spent a decade as a producer and executive at Cartoon Network. His tenure has coincided with a shrinking remit as basic cable has declined and HBO Max has scaled back original kids and family programming. Dungey said a search for his replacement is underway, with business operations and the studio's creative department heads continuing to run their respective areas in the interim.