Paramount Will Have Two Bosses After Its Big Merger
Paramount will have two chief executives once its $110 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery closes. Ynon Kreiz will join Chairman and CEO David Ellison as co-CEO. The company announced the plan on September 30, 2026. The Verge
Ellison will handle long-term plans and creative direction. That includes working with talent, business partners, technology and spending decisions. Kreiz will run day-to-day operations and the job of joining the two companies. The combined business will report to both men. Paramount
Kreiz previously led Mattel as chairman and CEO. He joined in 2018 and left after eight years. Under him, Mattel made the Barbie film with Warner Bros. Pictures. He starts at Paramount on October 5.
The deal needed legal approval first. A U.S. judge allowed Paramount to close on September 30, 2026, after approving a settlement with several states that had blocked it. Reuters The case was led by California and included 12 states.
Streaming leadership is already changing. Paramount streaming chief Cindy Holland will step down. HBO boss Casey Bloys is poised to run both Paramount Plus and HBO.
Paramount put the plan in an investor press release titled 'CHAIRMAN AND CEO DAVID ELLISON ANNOUNCES YNON KREIZ CO-CEO', also shared on PR Newswire. It said Kreiz will help build the next-generation global media company. Ellison is CEO of Paramount Skydance.
The broader context here is the hard task of joining two large companies, like combining two households without disrupting daily life. In my view, Kreiz has the hands-on job of making logins, show suggestions and ads work as one system, and getting that right will decide if viewers get a more reliable service that can try new ideas.
