Casey Bloys has locked in a continuity-first content leadership team for Skydance DTC, the streaming operation housing HBO Max and Paramount+ after the October 6 Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger. The announcement, made two and a half weeks after Bloys took charge of content, keeps the core HBO programming bench he led as HBO and HBO Max content chairman.
The biggest change is at Paramount+: Jane Wiseman is exiting as EVP and head of originals, and her team now reports to Sarah Aubrey, who becomes Head of Paramount+, Max Originals and International Programming.
The leadership map
- Francesca Orsi rises to President, HBO Drama Series and Films, from EVP, and will help Bloys decide which dramas fit the HBO brand.
- Sarah Aubrey takes Paramount+ originals under her, alongside Max Originals and international programming.
- Glenn Whitehead becomes President & COO, HBO and Paramount+, overseeing business affairs, production and operations.
- Amy Gravitt, Nina Rosenstein, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller continue in comedy, late-night/specials and documentary roles.
- Jeff Cusson becomes EVP and Head of Communications for Skydance DTC.
Why continuity matters
Bloys could have used the merger to reshuffle. Instead he doubled down on the team that built HBO’s recent slate. In an internal memo, he credited the group with a “long history of delivering consistently” on viewership, awards and critical response, and said David Ellison saw HBO “as a collective – not a single person.” For buyers, that continuity signals the HBO programming mandate is unlikely to change quickly, even as the platforms prepare to converge.
The memo name-checked Harry Potter, The White Lotus, Landman and Dutton Ranch as sample assets from both platforms, underlining that the combined operation is expected to feed big franchises rather than wind one down.
Aubrey’s expanded Paramount+ role is the clearest integration move. She will work with Bloys and Skydance leadership on aligning Paramount+ with HBO Max, which means the two services are being managed as related businesses before they become one product.
The 1-2 year window
Skydance has indicated HBO Max and Paramount+ will first run as separate-but-bundled services, with a transition believed to last one to two years. That creates a practical runway for advertisers and media planners: two distinct inventories, two subscriber funnels and two content pipelines for now, but a single leadership team shaping both.
Don’t assume one ad stack or one programming slate yet. The next quarters are likely to run on parallel tracks until Skydance begins to converge the platforms.
What media teams should track
- Paramount+ originals development under Aubrey, especially franchise and international output.
- Any bundle pricing or combined ad product that arrives during the separate-but-bundled phase.
- Signals about which Paramount+ titles get HBO-level investment versus wind down.
For now, the story is less about a single platform and more about how two premium content machines will be managed under one roof.
Source: Deadline
