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Paramount Ad Sales Chief Stands By Lower-Key Upfront Plan: “It’s Not Bombastic, It Allows Us To Actually Listen To Our Customers”

Paramount ad sales chief John Halley spoke to Deadline about the company's upfront approach and

While the history is almost entirely prior to its 2019 merger of Viacom, CBS long threw the most lavish of all upfronts, centered around twin New York City landmarks Carnegie Hall and the Plaza Hotel. It’s not just a big PR event and a bunch of linear, bombastic presentation.” By setting out on the trail well before mid-May, he adds, “we will have spent something like 40 hours with our most important clients in weeks where there’s very little competitive messaging.” While the drumbeat of headlines continues about President Trump’s war with CBS News and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone’s dilemma with the Skydance deal, Halley points to Paramount’s strong hand in terms of content.

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