HBO's Casey Bloys: TV Content Bubble Has Burst
At Bloomberg's Screentime conference, HBO's Casey Bloys said the TV industry is in disruption and expressed confidence in Paramount CEO David Ellison.
Casey Bloys, who leads HBO, said Thursday that the television industry is in a state of disruption and is on the backside of a content bubble bursting, with the number of scripted shows falling from about 600 to 400. He spoke at Bloomberg's Screentime conference.
Bloys also addressed the pending merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of HBO. He said Paramount CEO David Ellison is very excited and respectful of HBO's history and will maintain what HBO has done.
But Bloys deflected questions about whether HBO Max and Paramount+ will be fully merged or bundled, leaving the operational details of the combined streaming service unanswered.
The comments come as Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery has not yet officially closed, and the leadership structure of the merged company — including Bloys' exact position and title — has not been announced.
Two days before the conference, Paramount's streaming chief Cindy Holland exited, clearing the way for Bloys to take over the combined Paramount+/HBO Max streaming operation, as reported by Deadline.
At the height of the market, over 600 scripted series were being made in a year, according to the background. Bloys' remarks suggest that era of peak TV production is receding.
Quick answers
What did Casey Bloys say about the TV content bubble?
Bloys said the TV industry is in disruption and on the backside of a content bubble bursting, with scripted shows dropping from about 600 to 400.
What did Bloys say about David Ellison and HBO?
Bloys said Paramount CEO David Ellison is very excited and respectful of HBO's history and will maintain what HBO has done.
Will HBO Max and Paramount+ merge?
Bloys deflected questions about whether the two services will be fully merged or bundled, and no decision has been announced.