

Marine moved into the role earlier this year after Amazon merged its live-events product and tech teams, Sports Business Journal reported. While Donoghue leads sports content and production, longtime Amazon exec Jay Marine heads up the overall sports group.Īs VP and global head of Prime Video Sports, Marine leads the sports business and technology teams and oversees all aspects of sports within Prime Video, including the user experience and distribution. That includes a fresh on-air talent roster that includes athletes like Ryan Fitzpatrick and Richard Sherman, an alternative broadcast featuring YouTube stars Dude Perfect, and an original theme song that sounds like a battle anthem.ĭonoghue sharpened her negotiation skills during her roughly 20 years at ESPN before joining Amazon in 2018. She told Insider that the broadcast will offer a "distinctive look and feel" and a "fun tone" designed to engage a new streaming audience. In the last year, she helped land an 11-year deal for "Thursday Night Football" - the first NFL package to move exclusively to a steamer - and inked deals with a range of other sports organizations including UEFA's Champions League and the Singaporean combat-sport promoter ONE Championship.Īlong with new rights deals, Donoghue is also reimagining Amazon's "Thursday Night Football" coverage. The VP of global sports video runs Amazon's sports-rights negotiations. Marie Donoghue is leading the charge at Amazon to bring live sports to streaming. This article originally appeared on August 25 and was updated September 12. There's also plenty of innovation happening at the intersection of sports media and gambling, which Insider has highlighted in a separate list.īelow are 24 top leaders - listed alphabetically by company - that made Insider's list for the most influential sports-media business figures of 2022. There are several emerging categories that aren't included in Insider's list, such as NIL and NFTs, which could shake up the sports-media world but with still undetermined impact. A lot of these executives rely heavily on the actions of the sports leagues, whose marketing and media rights decisions provide the foundation for sports media outlets. Insider's list showcases the headliners from networks, publications, entertainment, and video and audio production companies. They include LeBron James, who partnered with his manager Maverick Carter to create The SpringHill Company, which was valued in its last funding round at $725 million. There are also rising stars - leaders whose companies may not be valued the same way as traditional networks, but who are blazing trails in growing sports demographics - like Overtime cofounders Dan Porter and Zack Weiner and Just Women's Sports founder Haley Rosen.Īthletes also have claimed their place on the list as more have thrust themselves into the business side of sports media.

The final list includes established leaders like ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro, as well as challengers like Marie Donoghue, an ESPN alum who is now shaking up the sports landscape at Amazon, which landed the exclusive rights to "Thursday Night Football." We fielded nominations for this list from readers and industry insiders. "There's a lot you can do with sports IP to attract viewers, subscribers, and fans that goes beyond the live game," Vollmer said.Īs the industry transforms, Insider is highlighting the most influential business leaders innovating in sports media. The coverage around sports has moved with the digital age through social media, documentaries, and podcasts.
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"Live sports content is no longer just playing a key strategic role in the linear pay-TV bundle but also a growing role in the streaming ecosystem as sports rights become an increasingly important driver of subscriber acquisition and retention for streaming services," Chris Vollmer, managing director at consulting firm MediaLink, told Insider over email.īut sports don't end at the final score.
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Live sports are a bridge between traditional TV and the new wave of streaming platforms. In the rapidly evolving media landscape, sports programming and the athletes who drive it all are becoming more powerful than ever before. It also features leaders from key startups like Overtime, Meadowlark Media, and Just Women's Sports.The list includes execs from media staples like ESPN and studios driving the explosion of original sports content.Insider is highlighting the most influential sports-media figures transforming the industry in 2022.
