Tom Ryan, President & CEO, Paramount Streaming, is departing following the merger with Skydance Media as the David Ellison company sets its new management team.A trailblazer in the streaming industry who led the creation and growth of Pluto TV and Paramount+, Ryan will support Cindy Holland, the new chair of Direct-to-Consumer, and streaming leadership in an advisory role to ensure a smooth transition.The FCC approved the merger July 24. It will formally close on August 7. Other high profile departures include two of Paramount Global‘s three co-CEOs Chris McCarthy and Brian Robbins. Ellison will be CEO and Jeff Shell president of the combined company.“After twelve phenomenal years entertaining the planet together, the time has come for me to say goodbye. I leave with deep gratitude and pride for a team I love and admire, and for Pluto TV and Paramount+, streaming services that started as bold ideas and have since grown into global powerhouses,” he said in a memo to staff obtained by Deadline.Ryan launched Pluto TV in 2014 as co-founder and CEO. The ad-supported linear streaming platform turned a profit in 2020 and has remained in the black since, as it helped to popularize the FAST category, which is now a multi-billion-dollar global industry. Pluto TV was acquired by Viacom in January 2019 for $340 million. Viacom and CBS merged later that year. Paramount+ launched in March of 2021 and has amassed 78 million subscribers to become one of the top four SVOD players.ViacomCBS changed its name to Paramount Global in 2022.Ryan has served as President & CEO of Paramount Streaming since October of 2020, growing the division from $1.8 billion that year to $7.6 billion in 2024. In the June 2025 quarter, the company’s last as a standalone before combining with Skydance, Paramount streaming revenue rose 15% year-on-year to $2.2 billion, an annualized revenue run rate of $8.6 billion. The division’s global profit surged by over 500% to $157 million.He plans to return to his entrepreneurial roots and explore opportunities to create and scale his next venture. He currently serves as chairman of Struck Studio, a startup he helped launch in 2022. Struck has launched over half a dozen AI-enabled startups across industries and raised a $15 million Series A round from investors including Steve Case’s Revolution and USVP, the original lead investor in Pluto TV.Ryan also serves on the boards of Telly and Smule and is an advisor to venture capital firms such as SignalFire and Felix Capital.
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