$110 billion. That is the price Paramount Skydance is paying for Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal days from closing, and on Tuesday the executive who ran Paramount’s streaming side walked out the door.
Cindy Holland announced she was stepping down from her role running Paramount+ and the other direct-to-consumer services under the Paramount umbrella. HBO chief Casey Bloys is now expected to run the combined streaming business once the merger officially closes. Holland’s memo to staff did not name a successor, and a Paramount spokesperson declined to comment.
What Holland said
Her memo was short on drama. “As David readies for the next phase of his vision, we’ve discussed my role and the future of the combined businesses,” she wrote. “David is optimizing for HBO stability as we move into this next chapter, and I fully support that.” Today, she added, “will mark my last day here.”
Holland joined as an advisor in 2024, a Netflix veteran, and took over Paramount+ and Pluto TV after the $8 billion Paramount-Skydance merger closed in 2025. She listed three goals set when she joined David Ellison’s team in January 2025: advise on the Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition, transform Paramount+ and revive Pluto TV, and build a strong team. She said all three were done in just over 12 months.
Live sports were her biggest line item. She pointed to landmark agreements with UFC and Zuffa Boxing, plus expanded WNBA and UEFA Champions League rights. UFC Freedom 250 drew the largest audience for an exclusive live event on Paramount+, and UFC 329 set a platform record for peak concurrent streams. Pluto TV, she said, went through its biggest product overhaul in a decade, lifting registered viewing and video-on-demand use.
Ellison, the Paramount CEO, called her “a force of nature whose impact on Paramount over the past year has been significant.”
Holland said she believes the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery combination serves “the best interests of artists and audiences worldwide.”
Sources
- Casey Bloys Poised to Run HBO and Paramount+
- Casey Bloys to Run Combo HBO Max-Paramount Streamer, Cindy Holland Exits Ahead of Merger
