HBO's Casey Bloys poised to lead streaming as Paramount's Cindy Holland exits

Cindy Holland is leaving Paramount, and HBO chief Casey Bloys is poised to run streaming across the combined Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Holland confirmed her exit in a memo to staff sent on Tuesday afternoon, 29 September, according to Variety. In that memo she said Tuesday would be her last day. She said the call on streaming leadership was made by Paramount Skydance chief executive David Ellison.

She did not mention Bloys by name in the memo. She said Ellison was optimising for stability at HBO.

The change lands just as Paramount Skydance is days away from closing its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, according to the same report. That deal would put Paramount+, HBO and a clutch of other streaming services under one owner. Bloys is expected to oversee that combined direct-to-consumer operation, meaning the streaming services sold straight to viewers without a cable bundle.

Holland ran Paramount+ and Paramount's other direct-to-consumer streamers. Her title was Chair of Direct to Consumer at Paramount, according to Variety. That portfolio also includes Pluto TV, the free service that runs live channels and on-demand shows with ads.

She had joined Ellison's team in January 2025, so the tenure lasted about 20 months. Bloys is chairman and chief executive of HBO, according to Variety. He has long overseen HBO's cable channel and its streaming programming.

For viewers, this means one person will likely set the streaming plan on both sides. That covers what gets commissioned, what gets renewed or cancelled, and where shows appear and when. No combined line-up or launch date has been announced.

What makes this stand out is the speed. A top streaming executive exits on closing week, not after. Behind that headline are two large staffs, from programming and marketing to the crews that make the shows, waiting to learn who they report to next.