Paramount ad sales chief John Halley is exiting the company after 17 years, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. The writing has been on the wall since October when David Ellison hired Roku’s Jay Askinasi as chief revenue officer.
At the time, Ellison’s president Jeff Shell said, “We are thrilled to welcome Jay to Paramount as our new Chief Revenue Officer. He brings a unique and highly relevant mix of experience across ad tech, platforms, data, agencies, and startups — all grounded in a deep understanding of the media and converged video landscape. Jay is widely respected for transforming underutilized assets and driving modern, digital-first commercial strategies. His leadership will be key as we accelerate growth and innovation across our business.”
“This is a pivotal moment of transformation for the industry, and Paramount is clearly positioning itself at the forefront of that change,” Askinasi said. “I’m excited to help shape a next-generation digital monetization engine — one that can stand alongside the biggest tech platforms – while preserving the creative excellence and cultural influence that define Paramount’s iconic content.”
Askinasi’s hiring signaled to Wall Street that Paramount Skydance would be taking a more tech-forward approach to advertising and revenue generation — that’s the Ellison way.
As for Halley, he’ll stick around (sort of) as a consultant until March.
Halley joined Viacom in 2007. Throughout the years (and mergers) he made Pluto TV a viable business and launched Paramount’s EyeQ video-advertising platform.
Ellison’s acquisition of Paramount Global closed in August; he’s already looking toward acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery as well.
Variety first reported the news of Halley’s exit.
