The power players behind the new WarnerMedia took center stage at the media company's first big pitch to advertisers

One of Stankey's top deputies is Kevin Reilly, president of TV networks TBS and TNT and the chief content officer of WarnerMedia's upcoming streaming service. Reilly emceed most of the upfront event on Wednesday.

He is making big changes to the two TV networks directly under his charge, TBS and TNT. TBS, known for comedies, will move into dramas starting with the long-planned "Snowpiercer" adaption, which Reilly shared a first glimpse of at the event. He confirmed that the series, due out in 2020 around March Madness, has already been picked up for a second season. And, All Elite Wrestling is coming to TNT, a network best known for hard-hitting dramas like "The Alienist" and major sports matchups like the NBA games.

While Reilly talked about TBS, TNT, and truTV, he largely showcased their content together. It signals a shift at the company away from individual brands and toward a broader WarnerMedia umbrella. That's contrary to the approach that competitor Disney is taking by making brands like Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar the heart of its upcoming subscription service.

Reilly said he would experiment with programming for WarnerMedia's TV networks as the company readies its streaming service. Some series, like an unscripted show called "Chasing the Cure," will be simulcast live on both TBS and TNT, for example.

"There's a lot of great TV out there today," said Reilly. "But there's also a binge-and-burn mentality that can dilute the impact of even the best content. We're looking to be the answer to that."

WarnerMedia's new streaming service won't have ads when it launches in a testing phase later this year. The ads will come when the company rolls out the second version of the platform in early 2020.

Donna Speciale, president of ad sales at WarnerMedia, took the stage to tout the broader AT&T advertising ecosystem.

"What makes us smarter? What makes this year different? What sets us apart?" said Speciale. "Our ability to leverage AT&T's data with Xandr's insights. As part of AT&T, we can now transact on 170 million direct-to-consumer relationships."

Former chairman of NBC Entertainment Bob Greenblatt was on hand with Stankey, the CEO, on Wednesday, though Greenblatt didn't take the stage himself. As chairman of WarnerMedia's entertainment and direct-to-consumer businesses, he's leading the launch of the new WarnerMedia service next year, Stankey said.

Stankey said there was no programming for the new service to announce yet.

On top of the other WarnerMedia TV networks that were highlighted, Greenblatt is also overseeing HBO, which is expected to be the foundation for WarnerMedia's upcoming streaming service. Longtime HBO chief Richard Plepler stepped down from his role earlier this year.

CNN president Jeff Zucker also moved into the spotlight this year when he took on a bigger role at WarnerMedia, chairing the company's news and sports division. He now oversees all of the media company's live programming, and earned a nod from Stankey on stage at Wednesday's event.

Zucker helped turn CNN into one of the US's most-watched news networks in his time there. He'll be building out WarnerMedia's sports strategy across Turner, Bleacher Report, and the company's others networks in his new role, as well as preparing CNN for another heated US presidential election cycle.

Six of CNN's top anchors, including Anderson Cooper, Jake Tapper, and Wolf Blitzer, were met with a rapturous applause at the event when they reaffirmed the news network's commitment to the truth.

Gerhard Zeiler is the top executive overseeing WarnerMedia's revenue streams.

He leads WarnerMedia's affiliates and ad sales group, which includes Speciale's team, as well as the team responsible for negotiating carriage deals with TV providers like fellow AT&T subsidiary DirecTV or cable company Comcast. His job is getting more complicated as audiences shift online and away from platforms that feature advertising.

Zeiler is also responsible for the strategy behind Turner's international businesses.