There aren’t many rules when it comes to selling commercials, but there are rules that have long been respected among traditional media companies. It’s common for a new head of sales to leave before his or her predecessor leaves the company.
Paramount Skydance takes a different tack.
Last week, the company, led by entrepreneur David Ellison, announced an unconventional new structure for its advertising sales business. Former Roku senior sales executive Jay Askinasi (pictured above, left) will start as Paramount’s new chief revenue officer on November 3, with responsibility for advertising sales. In a counterintuitive move, the company’s current head of ad sales, John Halley (pictured above, right), is expected to stay on, although it’s unclear whether that will be a short-term or long-term role. Despite his new title, Mr. Akimnashi was not given any authority over other areas of monetization, such as content syndication or cash flow from distribution through cable and satellite partners and TV affiliates, according to people familiar with the company. In fact, Paramount already has an executive overseeing the distribution deal, including a longtime veteran of the conglomerate and its predecessor in Ray Hopkins.
One media buying executive said “a lot of people were surprised” by Halley and Asinasi’s decision to work together. “The biggest question is what Halley’s role is and whether he will stay long term.” Halley could not be immediately reached for comment, and Paramount declined to comment on the terms of Halley’s current contract.
Although Mr. Asinasi’s tenure on the sales side of the Madison Avenue negotiating table is limited, his appointment at the new Paramount spotlights a major shift taking place in the world of television advertising, which is increasingly reliant on digital sales rather than sales tied to traditional video screens. In June, Spanish-language media giant Televisa Univison parted ways with head of advertising sales Donna Speciale, a TV sales veteran who previously worked at Time Warner and Publicis Groupe, and brought in Tim Natividad, who has worked at Roku, Amazon and TikTok, as a new executive. NBCUniversal has delegated responsibility for its ad sales efforts to Alison Levine, also a former senior sales executive at Roku.
Simply put, executives at digital outlets like Roku are familiar with new advertising systems that more big marketers are leveraging on a regular basis. People who watch traditional television see the same national commercials during “breaks” whether they’re watching their favorite shows in Des Moines or Gainesville. However, streaming subscribers often see a series of commercials that leverage geography, demographics, and consumer preferences to suit their audience’s needs.
With that in mind, even companies that own large television networks need more people skilled at setting up so-called “programmatic” advertising, deals for commercial inventory that is assembled in seconds by algorithms that look for specific types of consumers, such as first-time mothers or people looking to buy a new car.
Halley has many of these skills. Recognized in the advertising industry for his deep expertise in ad tech operations management, Halley spent years working at Viacom, one of Paramount’s predecessor companies, to set up a service that allows advertisers to buy impressions for specific types of viewers. He experimented with a technique that targeted commercials to specific consumers, rather than CBS, which typically runs ads that everyone sees at once. In recent years, Mr. Halley has fought to improve viewership aggregation across the CBS and Paramount cable networks’ digital platforms, at one point refusing to sign a new deal with Nielsen and instead striking a ratings deal with rival audience measurement service Video Amplifier. And he has played a key role in the development of the Television Industry Council, which helps vet new measurement services in hopes of establishing a broader range of vendors beyond Nielsen, which accounts for a significant portion of the media industry’s fixed costs.
But Paramount executives feel more needs to be done. There is a belief within Paramount that the majority of the company’s ad sales will eventually come from streaming platforms, which will require new ad technology “built from the ground up,” according to a person familiar with the company. The former Paramount didn’t have the resources to build such infrastructure, the people said, and would need to step up to compete with companies like Amazon and Google to stay afloat. Currently, Paramount’s largest streaming advertising product is offered on Pluto, the company’s free streaming service, which runs on a different platform than Paramount+, the person said. In the company’s view, such piecemeal provision is no longer tenable.
Askinasi will report directly to Paramount CEO Ellison and President Jeff Shell, and is expected to work closely with Cindy Holland, a former Netflix executive who now oversees all of Paramount’s streaming properties, and Dane Glasgow, a former Facebook executive who is responsible for developing innovative products across the company. Meanwhile, Mr. Halley remains a valuable navigator on the entire sales market and how to devise attractive offers to potential advertisers.
Still, five people familiar with TV ad sales and Paramount’s sales team suggest the current arrangement is messy at best. Mr. Askanasi works as a senior executive in Publicis Groupe’s media buying practice and enjoys a reputation as an outgoing executive well-liked by clients and negotiators. Mr. Halley is seen as having an academic bent, being more involved in operations and technology, and is respected for his industry smarts. Which executive should the customer approach? Which should the various sales teams be more mindful of?Additionally, Mr. Akimnashi will take over at the same time that hundreds of Paramount employees are being laid off. That certainly includes advertising sales employees. He will be running a department made up of staff he had no say in shaping.
Paramount must address other challenges as well. Its cable properties have become increasingly irrelevant in the market, and networks like Logo, MTV and TV Land have been hungry for new content for years. Many of the networks have only one or two original shows and focus on programming from Paramount’s library. Things like this make CBS’ job of selling advertising time, one of the most desirable in the industry, even more difficult. That’s because ad sales executives often have to pressure clients to buy up cable loads to access top-notch content.
Paramount’s advertising revenue has been steadily declining. Streaming and traditional TV ad sales both fell 6% in the first half of this year, according to the company’s second-quarter earnings report. The company may see Mr. Askinasi as a new ambassador for groups ranging from Coca-Cola to Nielsen.
At least one of Halley’s policies is likely to remain in place. In 2022, he surprised everyone by canceling Paramount’s Upfront Showcase for advertisers, which it holds every May. The event, long held at New York’s Carnegie Hall and sponsored by CBS, was seen as a precursor to the event that kicks off the network’s annual scrum to sell billions of dollars in TV advertising time ahead of its next programming cycle. In recent years, Paramount has repeatedly held tailored meetings with various advertisers and agencies, changing elements of the presentation to suit the audience. The meetings have been successful and have helped Paramount secure long-term deals with advertisers, people familiar with the market say, but those deals are often more complex and worth more money than those obtained through traditional upfront lobbying.
Harry told Variety earlier this year that the old-fashioned upfront showcase had become “hyped” and was no longer allowing the exchange of ideas between news organizations and advertisers. “Being able to hear what our customers want from us is really important,” Halley said at the time. “That’s very important and you can’t replicate it on a big show.”
Paramount executives agree, and people familiar with the company suggest Halley’s strategy is likely to continue into 2026. At least one other media outlet is starting to adopt a similar idea. In 2025, Roku, where Askinasi heads up ad sales, launched its own series of private meetings with advertisers.
