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CEO salary packages crossed nan S&P 500 roseate astir 11% successful 2025 compared pinch 2024 – and media and intermezo led each sectors pinch an eye-opening 117% surge.
That was 1 of nan cardinal findings successful an study released Monday by proxy advisory patient ISS-Corporate.
The influential patient examined executive compensation packages related to nan 318 S&P 500 companies whose yearly shareholder meetings are held connected aliases aft January 1, 2026. Companies were only included if nan CEO was successful nan aforesaid domiciled successful nan existent and erstwhile filing years. Median CEO pay crossed nan committee came successful astatine $17.7 cardinal – a barroom easy cleared by a mostly of media and intermezo CEOs.
The No. 2 assemblage was Consumer Discretionary Distribution & Retail, pinch a median summation of 29.6%.
Public companies are reported to record proxies pinch nan SEC laying retired executive compensation successful beforehand of yearly meetings. Shareholders are past offered nan opportunity to ballot connected nan salary packages, though successful astir cases (as pinch last week’s rebuke of Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s windfall related to nan company’s pending merger pinch Paramount) nan votes are non-binding.
Zaslav, making love to his tally arsenic nan apical exec astatine Discovery Communications, has often classed among nan highest-paid CEOs successful firm America. He now stands to cod up to $886 cardinal for shepherding nan WBD merger, successful summation to his regular 2025 pay. Lately, however, nan inclination goes acold beyond a azygous poster child. The media and intermezo business has been forking complete hefty sums to a wide scope of leaders.
Other caller examples see Ari Emanuel, already a billionaire aft taking Endeavor Group Holdings nationalist successful 2022 and past taking it backstage successful 2025, pocketed $67.4 cardinal successful 2025 for steering TKO Group Holdings. The jump from $18.1 cardinal successful 2024 was owed to a banal grant. Comcast Co-CEO Mike Cavanagh besides saw his full compensation emergence sharply, to $71.8 cardinal from $28 million.
The 10.6% emergence successful median CEO salary for nan full S&P was up from nan 7.5% summation successful nan anterior year, ISS said. More than 74% of S&P 500 CEOs sewage a salary increase, while compensation fell for nan remaining 26%. Pay went up by astatine slightest $10 cardinal for 27 CEOs, while 21 main execs saw their compensation much than double successful 2025, nan study found.
Defenders of nan rich | payouts constituent to nan upswing successful nan broader markets, and so nan emergence successful worth for banal and action awards contributed importantly to CEOs’ comp levels. The marketplace worth of media and intermezo stocks remains suppressed, however, amid intensifying title from tech and streaming companies. ISS-Corporate noted successful its study that companies successful nan Media & Entertainment assemblage had a median antagonistic full shareholder return of 28.6% successful nan aforesaid play erstwhile CEO salary much than doubled.
Median guidelines net for each S&P CEOs stood astatine $1.4 million, up 3.2%. The median banal grant of $11 cardinal and nan median action grant of $3.6 cardinal correspond increases of 10.7% and 5.3%, respectively.
“While astir companies delivered affirmative shareholder returns successful 2025, nan magnitude of CEO salary increases highlights nan grade to which banal and action awards proceed to thrust compensation decisions,” ISS-Corporate Managing Director Roy Saliba said successful a statement. “In a much uncertain macro situation marked by tariff risk, geopolitical tensions, and softer maturation outlooks, investors are apt to scrutinize whether elevated salary outcomes stay well-aligned pinch semipermanent performance.”
