Former Amazon executive Marie Donoghue is headed to DraftKings. Plus: Peacock gains 3 million subscribers in Q4; ESPN to air podcasts live on ESPN2.
Marie Donoghue takes new role at DraftKings
Former VP of global sports at Amazon Prime Marie Donoghue will now serve as Chief Business & Growth Officer for DraftKings. The story was first reported by the New York Post and confirmed by DraftKings in a subsequent press release. Donoghue recently departed Amazon Prime where she ushered the streaming service into live sports, most notably negotiating an exclusive streaming deal for the NFL’s Thursday Night Football package. Prior to joining Amazon in 2018, Donoghue spent over 18 years at ESPN.
Donoghue, whose background is primarily in programming and content development, will oversee strategic growth initiatives at DraftKings. The sportsbook has recently expanded its digital footprint with DraftKings Network, where they have partnered with Dan Le Batard‘s Meadowlark Media to produce live programming. (DraftKings, 1.25) (New York Post, 1.25)
Peacock nets 3 million new subscribers in Q4
The NBC streaming service Peacock gained three million new subscribers to end 2023 with 31 million total subscribers, per Comcast’s fourth quarter earnings call Thursday. For context, the streaming service added four million subscribers in the prior quarter. The Q4 subscriber numbers will include users who signed up for the service to watch the Week 16 Bills-Chargers game on December 23rd, but not subscriptions driven by the exclusive Chiefs-Dolphins game on Wild Card weekend.
Peacock began 2023 with 20 million paid subscribers and grew over 50% year-over-year, exceeding its subscription goal for the year by one million. Even with the seemingly positive news on the subscription front, Peacock ended the year with $2.7b in annual losses. (Comcast, 1.25) (Awful Announcing, 1.26)
ESPN2 adds podcasts to daytime lineup
ESPN announced Thursday that the network will begin airing a variety of podcasts on ESPN2 weekdays during the 2PM ET hour. The new schedule will start January 29th with a variety of ESPN personalities spanning multiple sports.
The schedule will begin as such: Monday, First Draft with Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates; Tuesday, The Hoop Collective with Brian Windorst; Wednesday, The Lowe Podcast with Zach Lowe; Thursday, The Mina Kimes Show, Featuring Lenny; and Friday, The Elle Duncan Show. (ESPN, 1.25)
