Paramount Skydance’s streaming chief Cindy Holland is exiting the studio, clearing the way for HBO Chairman Casey Bloys to claim a key role in the company once Paramount acquires Warner Bros. Discovery.
Holland announced her departure Tuesday in a memo to her staff. Her resignation is effective immediately.
She joined Paramount nearly 14 months ago as chair of direct-to-consumer operations, in charge of Paramount+ and Pluto TV, after David Ellison’s Skydance Media took control of the media company long held by the family of Sumner Redstone.
A respected former Netflix executive, Holland was one of the few Paramount executives who lacked long ties to Ellison, who brought much of his Skydance team with him to Paramount.
Her resignation comes as Paramount is waiting for a federal judge to approve a settlement agreement that would allow Paramount to finalize its $111-billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, which also includes CNN, TBS and the Warner Bros. film and television studios.
The agreement, unveiled last week, was designed to end a lawsuit brought by California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and 11 other Democratic attorneys general, who had argued that Hollywood’s biggest merger in decades violated U.S. antitrust laws.
Paramount hopes to complete its Warner merger in early October.
“As David readies for the next phase of his vision, we’ve discussed my role and the future of the combined businesses,” Holland wrote in the memo shared with her staff and viewed by The Times. “David is optimizing for HBO stability as we move into this next chapter, and I fully support that.”
Ellison, in recent months, has signaled his intention to install Bloys in a pivotal role at the combined company.
Ellison months ago made a public commitment to protect HBO, which has long been a leader in prestige TV programming. The network has undergone two ownership changes, as well as considerable management turmoil and strategic shifts, during the last decade. Bloys has been one of the few constants, leading HBO as its chair since late 2022.
He is popular in Hollywood among producers, writers and talent agents and has one of the industry’s best track records, helping bring to life such signature HBO shows as “Game of Thrones,” “Succession,” “Euphoria,” “Hacks” and “The White Lotus.”
He was one of the first Warner executives that Ellison met with this year after Paramount prevailed over Netflix in the bidding war. HBO is one of the prime assets that has propelled Ellison’s pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery; executives have long recognized that bolstering Paramount’s lagging streaming service was essential to the company’s future.
In her memo, Holland said that when she joined Ellison’s kitchen cabinet in early 2025, she had three goals: building a top-notch management team, bolstering Paramount+ and Pluto TV and giving advice as Ellison launched his bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.
“In just over 12 months, I’m proud to say we accomplished all three and it’s been a joy to work closely with all of you,” Holland said.
The New York Times first reported Holland’s departure.
“Cindy has been a trusted partner to me and so many others, and I couldn’t be more grateful for her leadership, her relentless drive and everything she’s done for our company,” Ellison said in a statement.
Paramount Skydance’s streaming chief Cindy Holland is exiting the studio, clearing the way for HBO Chairman Casey Bloys to claim a key role in the company once Paramount acquires Warner Bros. Discovery.
Holland announced her departure Tuesday in a memo to her staff. Her resignation is effective immediately.
She joined Paramount nearly 14 months ago as chair of direct-to-consumer operations, in charge of Paramount+ and Pluto TV, after David Ellison’s Skydance Media took control of the media company long held by the family of Sumner Redstone.
A respected former Netflix executive, Holland was one of the few Paramount executives who lacked long ties to Ellison, who brought much of his Skydance team with him to Paramount.
Her resignation comes as Paramount is waiting for a federal judge to approve a settlement agreement that would allow Paramount to finalize its $111-billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, which also includes CNN, TBS and the Warner Bros. film and television studios.
The agreement, unveiled last week, was designed to end a lawsuit brought by California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and 11 other Democratic attorneys general, who had argued that Hollywood’s biggest merger in decades violated U.S. antitrust laws.
Paramount hopes to complete its Warner merger in early October.
“As David readies for the next phase of his vision, we’ve discussed my role and the future of the combined businesses,” Holland wrote in the memo shared with her staff and viewed by The Times. “David is optimizing for HBO stability as we move into this next chapter, and I fully support that.”
Ellison, in recent months, has signaled his intention to install Bloys in a pivotal role at the combined company.
Ellison months ago made a public commitment to protect HBO, which has long been a leader in prestige TV programming. The network has undergone two ownership changes, as well as considerable management turmoil and strategic shifts, during the last decade. Bloys has been one of the few constants, leading HBO as its chair since late 2022.
He is popular in Hollywood among producers, writers and talent agents and has one of the industry’s best track records, helping bring to life such signature HBO shows as “Game of Thrones,” “Succession,” “Euphoria,” “Hacks” and “The White Lotus.”
He was one of the first Warner executives that Ellison met with this year after Paramount prevailed over Netflix in the bidding war. HBO is one of the prime assets that has propelled Ellison’s pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery; executives have long recognized that bolstering Paramount’s lagging streaming service was essential to the company’s future.
In her memo, Holland said that when she joined Ellison’s kitchen cabinet in early 2025, she had three goals: building a top-notch management team, bolstering Paramount+ and Pluto TV and giving advice as Ellison launched his bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.
“In just over 12 months, I’m proud to say we accomplished all three and it’s been a joy to work closely with all of you,” Holland said.
The New York Times first reported Holland’s departure.
“Cindy has been a trusted partner to me and so many others, and I couldn’t be more grateful for her leadership, her relentless drive and everything she’s done for our company,” Ellison said in a statement.
Paramount Skydance’s streaming chief Cindy Holland is exiting the studio, clearing the way for HBO Chairman Casey Bloys to claim a key role in the company once Paramount acquires Warner Bros. Discovery.
Holland announced her departure Tuesday in a memo to her staff. Her resignation is effective immediately.
She joined Paramount nearly 14 months ago as chair of direct-to-consumer operations, in charge of Paramount+ and Pluto TV, after David Ellison’s Skydance Media took control of the media company long held by the family of Sumner Redstone.
A respected former Netflix executive, Holland was one of the few Paramount executives who lacked long ties to Ellison, who brought much of his Skydance team with him to Paramount.
Her resignation comes as Paramount is waiting for a federal judge to approve a settlement agreement that would allow Paramount to finalize its $111-billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, which also includes CNN, TBS and the Warner Bros. film and television studios.
The agreement, unveiled last week, was designed to end a lawsuit brought by California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and 11 other Democratic attorneys general, who had argued that Hollywood’s biggest merger in decades violated U.S. antitrust laws.
Paramount hopes to complete its Warner merger in early October.
“As David readies for the next phase of his vision, we’ve discussed my role and the future of the combined businesses,” Holland wrote in the memo shared with her staff and viewed by The Times. “David is optimizing for HBO stability as we move into this next chapter, and I fully support that.”
Ellison, in recent months, has signaled his intention to install Bloys in a pivotal role at the combined company.
Ellison months ago made a public commitment to protect HBO, which has long been a leader in prestige TV programming. The network has undergone two ownership changes, as well as considerable management turmoil and strategic shifts, during the last decade. Bloys has been one of the few constants, leading HBO as its chair since late 2022.
He is popular in Hollywood among producers, writers and talent agents and has one of the industry’s best track records, helping bring to life such signature HBO shows as “Game of Thrones,” “Succession,” “Euphoria,” “Hacks” and “The White Lotus.”
He was one of the first Warner executives that Ellison met with this year after Paramount prevailed over Netflix in the bidding war. HBO is one of the prime assets that has propelled Ellison’s pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery; executives have long recognized that bolstering Paramount’s lagging streaming service was essential to the company’s future.
In her memo, Holland said that when she joined Ellison’s kitchen cabinet in early 2025, she had three goals: building a top-notch management team, bolstering Paramount+ and Pluto TV and giving advice as Ellison launched his bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.
“In just over 12 months, I’m proud to say we accomplished all three and it’s been a joy to work closely with all of you,” Holland said.
The New York Times first reported Holland’s departure.
“Cindy has been a trusted partner to me and so many others, and I couldn’t be more grateful for her leadership, her relentless drive and everything she’s done for our company,” Ellison said in a statement.
Paramount Skydance’s streaming chief Cindy Holland is exiting the studio, clearing the way for HBO Chairman Casey Bloys to claim a key role in the company once Paramount acquires Warner Bros. Discovery.
Holland announced her departure Tuesday in a memo to her staff. Her resignation is effective immediately.
She joined Paramount nearly 14 months ago as chair of direct-to-consumer operations, in charge of Paramount+ and Pluto TV, after David Ellison’s Skydance Media took control of the media company long held by the family of Sumner Redstone.
A respected former Netflix executive, Holland was one of the few Paramount executives who lacked long ties to Ellison, who brought much of his Skydance team with him to Paramount.
Her resignation comes as Paramount is waiting for a federal judge to approve a settlement agreement that would allow Paramount to finalize its $111-billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, which also includes CNN, TBS and the Warner Bros. film and television studios.
The agreement, unveiled last week, was designed to end a lawsuit brought by California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and 11 other Democratic attorneys general, who had argued that Hollywood’s biggest merger in decades violated U.S. antitrust laws.
Paramount hopes to complete its Warner merger in early October.
“As David readies for the next phase of his vision, we’ve discussed my role and the future of the combined businesses,” Holland wrote in the memo shared with her staff and viewed by The Times. “David is optimizing for HBO stability as we move into this next chapter, and I fully support that.”
Ellison, in recent months, has signaled his intention to install Bloys in a pivotal role at the combined company.
Ellison months ago made a public commitment to protect HBO, which has long been a leader in prestige TV programming. The network has undergone two ownership changes, as well as considerable management turmoil and strategic shifts, during the last decade. Bloys has been one of the few constants, leading HBO as its chair since late 2022.
He is popular in Hollywood among producers, writers and talent agents and has one of the industry’s best track records, helping bring to life such signature HBO shows as “Game of Thrones,” “Succession,” “Euphoria,” “Hacks” and “The White Lotus.”
He was one of the first Warner executives that Ellison met with this year after Paramount prevailed over Netflix in the bidding war. HBO is one of the prime assets that has propelled Ellison’s pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery; executives have long recognized that bolstering Paramount’s lagging streaming service was essential to the company’s future.
In her memo, Holland said that when she joined Ellison’s kitchen cabinet in early 2025, she had three goals: building a top-notch management team, bolstering Paramount+ and Pluto TV and giving advice as Ellison launched his bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.
“In just over 12 months, I’m proud to say we accomplished all three and it’s been a joy to work closely with all of you,” Holland said.
The New York Times first reported Holland’s departure.
“Cindy has been a trusted partner to me and so many others, and I couldn’t be more grateful for her leadership, her relentless drive and everything she’s done for our company,” Ellison said in a statement.
