Jane Wiseman Departs Paramount+ as Casey Bloys Consolidates Skydance Content Leadership

Key points

• Jane Wiseman is exiting Paramount+ after serving as EVP and Head of Originals for 14 months, a move that follows the departure of Paramount Chair of Direct-To-Consumer Cindy Holland.
• Casey Bloys, now Co-Chair and Chief Content Officer of Skydance, has restructured the combined content team, placing Sarah Aubrey in charge of both HBO Max and Paramount+ originals.
• During her tenure, Wiseman oversaw 28 new series pickups and 16 renewals, including titles like 'Discretion,' 'The Best of Us,' and 'Landman,' while integrating BET+ into Paramount+.
• Bloys’ new structure retains core HBO executives, including Francesca Orsi for drama and Amy Gravitt for comedy, while Wiseman’s team reports to Aubrey to maintain operational parity.
• Wiseman, who previously led original series at Netflix, has offered to assist with the transition, and Bloys praised her work in an internal memo, calling her an 'extraordinarily talented executive.'

Background

This development occurs shortly after the official closure of the $111 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, forming Skydance. The merger, which closed on October 6, 2026, placed significant debt and integration challenges on the new entity. Prior to Wiseman’s exit, Cindy Holland had already departed, leaving questions about the future of Paramount+’s content leadership. The archive notes that the merger was expected to centralize leadership under David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz, with plans to preserve legacy brands while streamlining operations.

How outlets are covering it

Deadline and Variety emphasize the structural consolidation under Casey Bloys, noting that his core HBO team left no room for Wiseman at the senior level. Variety highlights that Wiseman had expressed willingness to stay and that discussions about her role occurred, but Bloys’ decision to keep the HBO Max structure intact prioritized operational clarity. TheWrap provides additional detail on the broader leadership team, including Glenn Whitehead as President and COO, and Jeff Cusson as head of communications, underscoring the comprehensive restructuring. All sources agree that Wiseman’s departure is a direct result of the post-merger integration, with Bloys’ memo framing the move as necessary to align Paramount+ and HBO Max under a unified content strategy.

Why it matters

Wiseman’s exit signals the final phase of integrating Paramount+ and HBO Max under Skydance, a move critical to reducing costs and streamlining content operations amid significant debt. Her departure, along with Holland’s, reflects the broader trend of executive turnover following the merger, as the new leadership prioritizes a unified structure over legacy roles. The consolidation under Bloys and his core team may impact the future of Paramount+’s slate, including high-profile titles like 'Landman' and 'Dutton Ranch,' as the combined entity seeks to balance brand identity with operational efficiency.

What to watch

Sarah Aubrey will oversee all programming for Paramount+ and HBO Max, with Bloys leading the alignment of the two platforms. The combined content team, including Francesca Orsi and Amy Gravitt, will continue to manage drama and comedy slates, while Glenn Whitehead oversees business affairs and operations. Wiseman has offered to assist with the transition, and the new structure is expected to stabilize content operations as Skydance navigates its debt and integration challenges. Further changes may occur as the company refines its long-term strategy for the merged streaming platforms.