In the wake of massive layoffs at its parent Paramount, Paramount Television Studios shook up its executive ranks on Thursday, with a number of top leaders leaving the company. According to reports, Paramount Television Studios chief Matt Thunell told employees in a memo that EVP and head of global production for MTVE/Showtime Keri Flint; Skydance EVP business and legal affairs Jeff Hegedus; Paramount Media Networks, Showtime and MTVE CFO Candice Brancazio; and Shauna Phelan, head of live-action series, films and talent at Nickelodeon and Awesomeness TV, are leaving the company. Skydance EVP, Physical Production Drew Brown becomes PTVS Head of Production, while Showtime/MTVE head of global talent and content development Trevor Rose and finance executive Matt Hengemuhle move to different parts of Paramount Skydance. Paramount Pictures COO Courtney Armstrong, CFO Mark Badagliacca, EVP human resources Talia Robinson and EVP global communications and media relations Brooke Robertson will add Paramount TV Studios to their purview, as will the movie studio’s head of casting, Tricia Wood.

Reuters has launched a new brand campaign — “Pure News, Straight from the Source” — created by Brandtech’s Gravity Road that uses cinematic Gen AI and original Reuters footage to demonstrate the news outlet’s position as a trusted world news source.

This is the first time in its nearly 175-year history that Reuters has run a video advert as part of a brand campaign.

But “Chicago Sunroof Oklahoma Drill Bit Party” is OK, right? According to Mantis managing director Fiona Salmon, almost half of Halloween-related content is being incorrectly blocked by standard keyword lists, with terms like “ghost,” “death,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “shooter” getting the kibosh from traditional blocking tools, even when appearing in brand-safe contexts like horror movie lists, costume ideas and local event guides.

“With Americans expected to spend a record $13.1 billion on Halloween this year and 73% planning to celebrate, brands can’t afford to miss these audiences,” Salmon said. “Traditional brand safety technology can’t distinguish between a news report about actual violence and an article recommending Halloween movies, which will have entirely different sentiments. By relying on these overly cautious tools, which haven’t kept pace with the advanced technology that is available now, publishers lose revenue on quality inventory, brands miss engaged audiences during lucrative shopping times, and agencies limit their clients’ reach.”

According to Variety, Hulu’s Onyx Collective has ordered a pilot for a series adaptation of the “Southern Bastards” graphic novels, with creators Jason Aaron and Jason Latour serving as executive producers. Bill Dubuque, who co-created Netflix hit “Ozark,” is writing the teleplay, sharing co-story credit with Nia DaCosta, who is directing the pilot and will executive produce. Matt Olmstead will be showrunner and executive producer.

“CBS Mornings” released its guest list for the week of November 3, with actor Rami Malek (“Nuremberg”), author E. Lockhart, Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher and NFL Today host and CBS News special correspondent James Brown slated for Monday, which will also include a new installment of “Beg-Knows America” with David Begnaud. On Tuesday, November 4, co-host Gayle King sits down with Cher, followed by singer-songwriter Patti Smith and CBS News political contributors Terry Sullivan and Joel Payne. November 5 will see country singer Kenny Chesney and on Thursday, November 6, actor Rainn Wilson, singer-songwriter Florence Welch and UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko join the program. On Saturday, November 1, band Fust, chefs Sujan Sarkar and Sahil Sethi and novelist R. L. Stine join “CBS Saturday Morning.”

Sunday’s Premieres
MGM+: Robin Hood at 9p
HBO: I Love LA at 10:30p
Food: Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking at 8p
Discovery: In the Eye of the Storm at 10p; The Last Captains at 11p

“A Life’s Worth,” a drama series about Swedish UN peacekeepers during the Bosnian War based on true life, will premiere in the U.S. on European streamer Viaplay on Thursdays, October 30-November 27.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released an industry guide — “The Role of CAPI in Closing the Outcome Gap for CTV” — that it says defines how Conversion APIs (CAPI) can unlock the potential of Connected TV (CTV). Designed for brands, agencies, publishers and ad tech partners, the report explores how CAPIs can standardize measurement, enable privacy-safe data collaboration and help the CTV ecosystem deliver performance outcomes like channels such as search and social.

While CTV is one of the fastest-growing advertising channels, it remains one of the hardest to measure and is inconsistent because of fragmentation, limited identifiers and technical barriers. IAB believes that standardizing the approach across CTV can help create parity between CTV and established performance channels, restore advertiser confidence through better measurement, unlock cross-channel optimization and faster feedback loops and support industrywide collaboration.

According to a survey conducted by IAB, 75% of advertisers using a CAPI are willing to reallocate budgets based on conversion performance, and 72% of publishers cite technical complexity as a barrier to adoption.

“With this guide, we invite the industry to move forward together. By offering a practical road map grounded in data and cross-industry input, IAB aims to accelerate scalable CAPI adoption — ensuring that CTV can meet rising demand for performance, accountability, and trust,” said Jamie Finstein, Vice President, Media Center, IAB.

According to AdRoll, 47% of shoppers say they plan to buy fewer gifts or spend less this holiday season as tariffs, economic uncertainty and cautious consumer spending weighs on their finances. AdRoll sees advertisers taking a different approach to marketing in Q4, doubling down on ROAS and efficiency, not volume; retargeting warm audiences and loyalty members instead of pouring budget into untested prospecting; and highlighting smaller-ticket items and bundled value to drive conversions among cost-conscious shoppers.

ITN and Magnite have launched what they call the industry’s first Local Linear TV Private Marketplace designed to close the programmatic gap for local broadcast. Through the collaboration, local linear TV inventory is available through Magnite’s ClearLine platform, allowing buyers to activate live local linear TV alongside streaming and digital video through real-time bidding and VAST workflows. In addition, stations gain streamlined workflows that enhance their ability to operate with the speed of national networks and digital platforms. At the same time, ITN has layered in advanced campaign management tools to give buyers digital-like control and transparency from start to finish.

Future enhancements will include advanced capabilities for spot TV, direct-to- station access, more precision audience targeting and specialized features for key verticals such as political advertising, further cementing linear TV’s place in the modern programmatic landscape.

“This launch delivers the ease, visibility and automation that will define the future of linear TV,” said Todd Watson, CEO of ITN. “The difference now is that activating it is just as simple as buying digital.”

Fox Business Network (FBN) beat out CNBC in October among business day and market hours for the sixth straight month and total day viewers for the 19th consecutive month, according to Nielsen Media Research. The network posted wins each weekday from 6a-8p with viewers for the fourth consecutive month. “Kudlow” and “Varney and Co.” were the top two business programs for the month. In October, FBN outranked CNBC in business day and market hours with viewers for the sixth straight month, scoring 219,000 viewers in business day and 214,000 viewers during market hours. FBN also beat CNBC with total day viewership for the 19th straight month with 129,000 viewers.

Leading up to Sunday’s NFL matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, iSpot offered some data on commercial appearances by the teams’ quarterbacks, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. According to iSpot, Allen, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and others have seen new emphasis this year while advertisers (with the exception of State Farm) have seemingly left the Chiefs behind. iSpot added that older NFL stars like Peyton Manning and Rob Gronkowski still appear in a lot of ads. Manning, Barkley, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter and Allen were the top five NFL players in terms of ad airings, with Mahomes coming in sixth (86 airings vs. Allen’s 124). Allen also appears in more than twice the number of brands compared to Mahomes (Allen: 7 vs. Mahomes: 3).

Tonight’s (October 31) World Series Game 6 marks MLB Network’s 100th World Series game it has covered since the network launched in 2009. Broadcasters Greg Amsinger, Al Leiter, Dan Plesac, Harold Reynolds and Matt Vasgersian are contributing to MLB Network’s ongoing coverage just as they did for the network’s first World Series 17 seasons ago featuring the Philadelphia Phillies and the eventual World Series champion New York Yankees. In total across the 100 World Series games, MLB Network has covered 7 current Hall of Famers, 18 different teams and 11 different champions.

The Ad Council has elected 33 new board members, including leaders from such iconic brands as McDonald’s, GM, TikTok, and The Trade Desk, plus two new Leadership Council members. Led by chair Rita Ferro, President, Global Advertising at The Walt Disney Company, the new members represent a cross-section of the advertising, media and tech industries.

Today’s Trivia Question
What short-lived series starred Gil Gerard as the head of an environmental team backed by a dying billionaire that traveled the world to prevent ecological disasters? (Email your answer to mjfarrell9865324@gmail.com and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.)