After 18 years at the company, John Halley is leaving Paramount.
The news comes around two months after Paramount hired Jay Askinasi, Roku’s former ad sales leader, as its CRO, where he will lead the company’s advertising sales team. A Paramount spokesperson told ADWEEK that Halley would stay on through the end of March in a strategic advisory role, ensuring a smooth transition for Askinasi.
Halley, who previously served as Paramount’s chief operating officer of advertising revenue, assumed the role of president of advertising in September 2022, following Jo Ann Ross‘ shift to an advisory role after 30 years at the company.
In the position, he oversaw the company’s domestic multiplatform sales efforts across its portfolio of broadcast, cable, digital and streaming assets spanning CBS, BET, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount+ and Pluto TV, among others.
A former chair of IAB, current chair of OpenAP, and a member of the 2023 ADWEEK 50, Halley’s run as Paramount’s ad sales chief has included being at the forefront of measurement and currency conversations as the industry adopts more alternative currencies; launching EyeQ, Paramount’s multi-billion dollar premium video ads marketplace; and taking Paramount out of upfront week by opting for more intimate client presentations, a move media buyers have responded to positively.
Talking about the upfront change with ADWEEK in May, Halley said there was “no reason” to go back to upfront week.
“Every year, we get the same feedback, which is that the format is much better,” Halley said. “I don’t think that, in a week that’s becoming more crowded and more difficult—not less difficult—re-entering the fray makes sense for us. It doesn’t make sense for us to abandon something that’s clearly been expressed as working.”
Despite ongoing changes at Paramount amid its $8 billion Skydance merger, Halley also noted at the time that Paramount’s ad sales have remained business as usual.
“Near-term, advertisers want to partner with us because we offer them access to audiences and their future customers. That’s not impacted by the ownership of the company. The story that we tell is consistent, irrespective of the status of the merger, the transaction, and it’s a strong story,” Halley said.
