This Week’s Movers in Sports Media & Marketing

Talent Shifts in Sports Media: Ben King to Drive Global Growth for DAZN

This week in the sports media and marketing ecosystem, former Apple executive Ben King joins DAZN, the NFL hires marketing veteran Jon Schwartz to lead its Communications and Public Affairs initiatives, and Facebook shakes up its global sports division.

For job openings and more on who’s moving where, check out the Hashtag Sports Weekly roundup.

Jon Schwartz Shifts from NASCAR to the NFL

The NFL announced the hiring of Jon Schwartz, who will be joining the league as the Senior Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs. In his new role, Schwartz will lead the NFL’s communications and focus on long-term brand and public relations strategies to ensure the league remains at the forefront of the rapidly evolving media landscape. Schwartz is joining the NFL from NASCAR, where he most recently served as Managing Director of Integrated Marketing Communications. Schwartz’s extensive 20+ years of corporate communications experience previous to NASCAR includes communications roles at both MasterCard and Bank of America and building public relations departments at the American Hockey League, the Arena Football League and XFL teams.

Greg Kirkorsky Named PERFORM’s Executive Vice President for Americas

PERFORM Group has announced Greg Kirkorsky as their Executive Vice President for Americas. His extensive experience and relationships with some of the biggest brands in sports media and technology are expected to be key assets for the company as its interest in data, content and betting offerings continue to develop across America. Kirkorsky previously led STATS LLC as Senior Vice President of Sales and Global Partnerships for the past 20 years where he developed strategic partnerships with ESPN, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Fox Sports, Microsoft and more.

Facebook Restructures Sports Division Ahead of Crucial Year

Facebook is reshaping its global sports division to focus on developments in the U.S. sports and sports betting sectors. The tech giant will be watched closely by stakholders and investors as its sports rights strategy takes shape. Former NBA executive Dan Reed will serve as the company’s Vice President of Global Sports/Media Partnerships where he will head Facebook’s accelerating global sports proposition and strategy, overseeing the development of key sports accounts and securing new sports media partnerships in Facebook’s key markets. Additionally, former Instagram executive Brandon Gayle will be assisting Reed and serving as Facebook’s Director of Sports Partnerships and Solutions.

DAZN Announces Ben King to Drive Global Expansion

The OTT streaming platform DAZN has announced the hire of Ben King as the company’s SVP Global Distribution and Business Development to drive its global expansion. In his new role, King will help drive growth strategy and build best-in-class commercial and distribution partnerships with the world’s leading platforms, telecom operators, retailers, brands and portals. King comes from a 12-year tenure at Apple where he worked at the forefront of some of the world’s most successful digital entertainment and media services. He most recently worked as Apple’s Commercial Director for International Services and oversaw business insights, business development, strategic partnerships and content licensing outside the US. King most notably played a pivotal role in growing Apple Music as it rose to 50 million subscribers in three years.

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