Paramount has hired Spotify and TikTok execs to lead advertising for small and medium businesses, the company’s president of advertising, John Halley, announced in an internal memo today. The hires come as TV media companies juggle legacy sales structures with those necessary for their digital futures.

“Exponential growth in the advertiser base was always the promise of digital, where impressions are bought one at a time, and there is no minimum threshold for campaign investment,” wrote Halley in the memo. “And while we have seen the advertiser floodgates open across [Paramount’s programmatic platform] EyeQ, we now seek to evolve and scale our relationships with the small and medium businesses that are fueling this expansion.”

Emily Huo, formerly of Spotify, has been named senior VP of SMB advertising at Paramount. In the role, she will be responsible for Paramount’s ad strategy for the SMB marketplace, inclusive of sales, marketing, support and product.

Also read: 18 streaming TV predictions for 2024

Huo most recently served as global head of SMB sales at Spotify. Before that, she held similar roles at Reddit and Twitter, now X.

Luke Peng joins Paramount as VP of product, SMB advertising, reporting to Huo. Peng will oversee the development and growth of Paramount’s ad products aimed at SMB advertisers, such as the continued rollout of Paramount’s self-serve buying platform Paramount Ad Manager, which launched in beta form late last year and is expected to fully debut this spring. Paramount Ad Manager joins a slate of ad tech products for advertisers layered within Paramount’s EyeQ programmatic tech.

Peng most recently worked for TikTok, where he was global product marketing lead, SMB growth. In the role, Peng was responsible for TikTok’s own self-serve ad platform. Prior to TikTok, Peng held similar titles at companies including Wish as well as analytics roles for PayPal and eBay.

In his memo, Halley wrote that the advent of programmatic buying in TV  has seen the media company’s clientele grow from “several hundred to tens of thousands each quarter.”

“Television advertising now is available not just to the top advertisers in the industry, but to businesses of all sizes,” wrote Halley.

TV network groups continue to find themselves in a delicate balance between the ad worlds established in the prime of cable TV and the one emerging in streaming. While linear businesses still account for substantial ad revenues, the growth trajectory for streaming is where most are placing their bets. This includes expanding year-round sales services such as self-serve platforms as well as preparing for the annual upfront ad haggle, when most major TV ad sellers put on extravagant shows for major brands. This year, Paramount will repeat its strategy from last year to hold small shows for each major holding company.

While TV is still an expensive medium, companies such as Disney, Netflix and now Paramount have been investing in methods for marketers accustomed to the ways of web and digital video buying to enter the TV ecosystem. 

The news also comes as rumors of Paramount’s sale continue to swirl.

“We are one of the few ad-supported streamers with a geo-targeted inventory supply vast enough to connect directly and drive results for the SMB segment,” wrote Halley. “And under the leadership of Emily and Luke, we are doubling down on these efforts, bringing in experienced senior management to drive marketplace expansion.”