HBO Chief Hosts Likely Future Boss at War Premiere as Merger Nears
HBO boss Casey Bloys brought his likely future boss to the party.
Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, invited George Cheeks to the New York premiere of the limited series War on Tuesday night, according to Deadline. Cheeks, Chairman of TV Media for Paramount, attended as Bloys' guest. The invitation had gone out weeks in advance.
They did not pose for photos together. The premiere was held at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York on September 22, 2026. The low profile left the red carpet to the cast.
The guest list mattered because Paramount is in the final stages of acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent organisation of HBO. A day before the premiere, on September 21, Paramount reached a deal with California and other states over the merger, according to Reuters. The lawsuit had been brought by 12 state attorneys general. The settlement cleared the way for the transaction to close in the next two weeks.
The terms go beyond paperwork. Paramount agreed to the creation of independent editorial boards for CNN and CBS, Reuters reported. The settlement also includes a $30 million penalty per film for any shortfall. Crucially for the timetable, it dissolves the July 24, 2026 “No-Close Order,” allowing Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery to complete the transaction.
War is a limited series, meaning its story is told in a single season. The HBO/Sky drama stars Dominic West and Sienna Miller as tech entrepreneur Morgan Henderson and film star Carla Duval in a story about an acrimonious divorce. The programme centres on conflict between two London law firms.
It is the show Bloys chose for a delicate piece of hosting. Bloys is under contract at HBO through 2027. Cheeks was the only Paramount co-CEO to continue after Skydance’s 2025 acquisition of Paramount. In March, Bloys was spotted lunching with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, weeks after Netflix walked away from its proposed WBD merger following Paramount’s $111 billion bid.
HBO arrived with momentum. The network had earned 21 Emmy wins as of September 2026. Short season. Long night.
For viewers, the next date is simple. War premieres on October 1, 2026 on HBO and streams on HBO Max. The corporate story will be decided elsewhere.
