Cindy Holland Shares Paramount+’s Commitment to Female-Led Dramas at Paramount Upfront
Paramount hosted its first upfront presentation since 2022 today at the Paramount Theatre in Los Angeles. This gathering took place almost a month earlier than the usual upfront week, marking a significant moment for the newly formed New Paramount following Skydance’s acquisition in August.
The event featured several new executives making their upfront stage debut. These included Paramount CEO David Ellison, who delivered opening remarks shortly after appearing at CinemaCon in Las Vegas; Chief Revenue Officer Jay Askinasi; Chair of Direct-to-Consumer Cindy Holland, who concluded an 18-year tenure at Netflix; and Amy Reisenbach, recently promoted to CBS Entertainment President after Paramount Global’s last upfront presentation.
Holland addressed ad buyers for the first time in an on-stage conversation moderated by Askinasi, outlining her programming strategy for Paramount+.
Watch on Deadline
“We’re really focused on the first few green lights, decisions we made when we got to Paramount, particularly thinking about female-forward dramas,” Holland stated, referencing the existing series *The Madison* as an example.
*The Madison*, featuring Michelle Pfeiffer and created by Taylor Sheridan, has emerged as one of Paramount+’s biggest series debuts, with Holland praising Pfeiffer as “a revelation.” This initiative aims to diversify the current programming, which predominantly features male-oriented content from Sheridan and various *Star Trek* series.
While acknowledging that Sheridan’s work, such as *Landman*, has a nearly 50% female audience, Holland remarked that it is often perceived through a more male lens. Other notable Sheridan hits include *Tulsa King* and *Mayor of Kingstown*.
Holland highlighted a couple of Paramount+’s recent competitive acquisitions. “We know that female-forward ensemble shows, dramas, legal thrillers, soapy thrillers, are things we are looking for,” she noted. “The first two projects we bring through that lens are *Discretion*, starring Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning, a mentor-mentee legal drama, and a limited series titled *Fear Not*, featuring Anne Hathaway.”
Once the programming slate is balanced, Holland aims to ensure that Paramount+ offers content appealing to a broad audience. She reaffirmed her commitment to this vision, emphasizing the planned increase in budget for scripted originals, a promise previously made by Ellison.
Additionally, Holland brought attention to Paramount’s significant sports franchises, particularly NFL games, which are simulcast with CBS. “The NFL is a huge audience funnel—very large, very diverse. We want to continue programming for different segments and increase our content offering,” she stated. She also announced that the BET+ community would be joining Paramount+ in May, an initiative she described as both a privilege and an honor.
