Cindy Holland steps down as Paramount streaming chief ahead of Warner Bros. Discovery merger

Holland’s departure clears the path for HBO chairman Casey Bloys to oversee the combined streaming businesses once the merger is finalized.

By Felo News Desk · Published Wed, 30 Sep 2026 01:44:07 GMT

Paramount Streaming chief Cindy Holland announced her resignation on Tuesday, effective immediately, as the studio prepares to finalize its $110‑$111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

What happened

Holland sent a memo to staff on Tuesday afternoon confirming she will leave her role overseeing Paramount+ and Pluto TV. The announcement came just days before Paramount Skydance expects to close the merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that would bring together Paramount’s and Warner’s streaming assets, including HBO, CNN, TBS and the Warner film and TV studios.

What the reports add

According to the Los Angeles Times, Holland joined Paramount about 14 months ago after Skydance Media took control of the company, and her exit coincides with a pending federal judge’s decision on a settlement that would clear antitrust concerns raised by California and other states. Variety notes that while Holland’s memo did not name HBO chairman Casey Bloys, she referenced “David is optimizing for HBO stability,” indicating that Bloys is expected to assume leadership of the combined streaming operations.

What was said

Holland wrote, “As David readies for the next phase of his vision, we’ve discussed my role and the future of the combined businesses. David is optimizing for HBO stability as we move into this next chapter, and I fully support that… today will mark my last day here,” as reported by Variety.

How it came about

The leadership change follows Paramount Skydance’s effort to integrate the Skydance team with the legacy Paramount structure after David Ellison’s acquisition. Earlier coverage by Felo News highlighted Paramount+ programming, such as the drama Route 187, underscoring the platform’s growing content slate ahead of the merger. The pending antitrust settlement, first detailed last week, is intended to satisfy a lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other Democratic attorneys general.

Key facts

Cindy Holland resigned as Paramount streaming chief effective immediately (latimes.com)
Holland’s departure was announced via a staff memo on Tuesday (variety.com)
The resignation clears the way for HBO chairman Casey Bloys to lead the combined streaming businesses (variety.com)
Paramount Skydance is awaiting a federal judge’s approval of a settlement to complete its $110‑$111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (latimes.com)

Timeline

2026-09-16 — Felo News published a feature on Paramount+ series Route 187
2026-09-29 — Cindy Holland announced her resignation in a staff memo
2026-09-30 — Paramount expects to close Warner Bros. Discovery merger in early October