Paramount Skydance has recruited Jay Askinasi, most recently Roku’s top advertising exec, as chief revenue officer.
Askinasi will start at Paramount Nov. 3, dual-reporting to CEO David Ellison and president Jeff Shell. According to the company, the CRO position is a newly created role “designed to lead the company’s monetization strategy and strengthen its long-term positioning as a next-generation media company” and to push toward a unified advertising platform. John Halley remains in his role as president of Paramount Advertising, reporting to Askinasi.
Paramount’s portfolio of brands includes CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, BET, Paramount Networks, and streaming services Paramount+ and Pluto TV.
Askinasi is latest senior hire to join Ellison’s executive team since the Paramount-Skydance deal closed in early August. Others include Makan Delrahim, who advised Skydance on its acquisition of Paramount Global, as chief legal officer and former Meta exec Dane Glasgow as chief product officer.
Askinasi worked at Roku for less than two years, where he was senior VP, head of global media revenue and growth. At the streaming-platform company, he led ad sales, including the entire go-to-market organization, enterprise partnerships and platform monetization. Prior to joining Roku in April 2024, he was CEO of Publicis Media Exchange U.S., overseeing media investment strategy for the holding company and its brands, including monetization of its Epsilon assets. Before that Askinasi led agency and platform partnerships for AT&T and was president of RUN, a vendor of mobile-focused programmatic ad tech.
Shell, in a prepared statement, said Askinasi “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.”
Askinasi commented, “This is a pivotal moment of transformation for the industry, and Paramount is clearly positioning itself at the forefront of that change. 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.”
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From Variety US