Skydance Media has revealed the future Paramount executive team; a Netflix executive discussed the company’s sports strategy and Amazon is reorganizing its audio business. Plus additional news about Buck Martinez, Katie Feeney, Jesse Newell and Zak Herbstreit.
Skydance announces new Paramount leadership team
Skydance Media has announced the future executive team that is expected to lead a new combined company upon the close of its two-step transaction with Paramount Global for $8 billion. The new Paramount company is expected to be split into primary business segments focused on studios, direct-to-consumer and TV media. David Ellison will be serving as the chairman and chief executive officer of Paramount, where he will have oversight of brands such as CBS Sports, Paramount Pictures and CBS News.
Joining Ellison on the executive team is former NBCUniversal chief executive officer Jeff Shell, who is going to be the president of the new Paramount company. Shell previously worked as the chairman of RedBird Sports and Media where he played a key role in company investments across interests in sports and entertainment. Andy Gordon also worked at RedBird Capital Partners and will be joining Paramount as its chief strategy officer and chief operating officer under the new leadership team.
George Cheeks will be remaining on the executive team through the merger where he will serve as the chair of TV Media at Paramount. Cheeks had been working as the co-chief executive officer of Paramount Global since the departure of Bob Bakish after he stepped down from the role last April, and he formally worked as the president and chief executive officer of CBS. Paramount Global co-chief executive officers Brian Robbins and Chris McCarthy were not listed under the new executive leadership team, and it had been previously reported by Variety that the latter would be leaving the company.
Netflix exec not convinced on acquiring full season of sports league
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Netflix vice president of nonfiction series and sports Brandon Riegg conveyed that he still is not convinced that acquiring a full season of a sports league is right for the company. Nonetheless, he explained that “it is a necessary risk” for the company “to add a robust new aspect to Netflix’s programming with spectacles that bring viewers together en masse.” This aligns with previous comments made by Ted Sarandos, the co-chief executive officer of Netflix, who voiced that the company is trying to do live events, some of which constitute the sports genre.
As an example, Riegg highlighted the bout between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano as an event that people want to view from the streaming service, referring to the occurrence as a “no-brainer.” Although viewership did not eclipse that of the fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, which garnered a peak of 65 million concurrent streams according to data from Netflix and TVision, Riegg considered the event to be a success. Even so, he wants to top the “high-water mark” established by the Paul-Tyson fight, which attained an average minute audience of 108 million live viewers across the globe.
“The competitive part of me would love to top that,” Riegg said. “The realist in me thinks something will beat it. I don’t know what it will be and I don’t know how quickly it will be.”
Over the last several years, Netflix has primarily made its investments into live sports surrounding “eventized” programming such as the NFL Christmas Day doubleheader, WWE Raw on Monday nights and the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Other streaming companies have signed deals with leagues for larger broadcast packages in recent years, such as Amazon’s Prime Video for the NFL and National Basketball Association, along with Apple TV surrounding Major League Baseball. In an appearance on “The Town” podcast this past February, Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria said that the company would be interested in Sunday afternoon NFL games should the rights become available at decade’s end.
Amazon reorganizing audio business, cutting some Wondery jobs
Amazon is “breaking up the operations” of the Wondery podcast network as the company reorganizes its audio business, resulting in the loss of about 110 jobs. Wondery chief executive officer Jen Sargent is also going to be exiting the company, according to a report from Ashley Carman and Lucas Shaw of Bloomberg News. Series currently part of Wondery will either be moved under the Audible banner or join a new “creator services” team, the latter of which will contain offerings driven by personalities.
Wondery has a variety of sports podcasts within its portfolio, including “New Heights” featuring Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce. The brothers agreed to an ad-sales representation and distribution deal with Wondery last August reportedly worth over $100 million over three years. In addition to the Kelce brothers, Wondery features shows such as “The Offensive Line with Annie Agar,” “Men in Blazers” and “Road Trippin'” featuring Richard Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins, Allie Clifton and Channing Frye.
The Amazon division also signed a deal with Uninterrupted this past March for distribution and ad-sales representation of “Mind the Game,” the basketball-focused podcast hosted by Los Angeles Lakers F LeBron James and former NBA G Steve Nash. Amazon’s Prime Video will soon commence its broadcasts of NBA games under an 11-year media rights deal reportedly worth over $1.8 billion per annum, which includes Nash on the roster as a studio and game analyst.
Earlier in the year, Wondery cut “a small number of jobs” within its podcasting unit, according to Greg Bensinger of Reuters, although the exact number of employees affected is unknown. Amazon officially purchased Wondery at a reported valuation of approximately $300 million in a deal that closed four years ago, and it has steadily expanded its network of shows spanning various genres.
Plus: Buck Martinez, Katie Feeney, Jesse Newell, Zak Herbstreit
- Toronto Blue Jays color commentator Buck Martinez is making his return to the Sportsnet broadcast booth on Friday, Aug. 8 as the team faces the Los Angeles Dodgers. Martinez has been away from the microphone for nearly three months as he dealt with “health matters,” but he has continued to watch all of the games, according to his broadcast partner and Blue Jays play-by-play announcer Dan Shulman.
- Social media influencer Katie Feeney is joining ESPN as a sports and lifestyle content creator where she will appear on its social channels and linear television. Feeney, a recent graduate of Penn State University, will make appearances on “Sunday NFL Countdown,” “Monday Night Countdown” and “College GameDay” throughout the year and will also host “SportsCenter on Snapchat.”
- Jesse Newell is joining The Athletic where he will continue covering the Kansas City Chiefs. Newell had previously served as a Chiefs beat reporter at the Kansas City Star and also covered Kansas University while at the newspaper for nearly a decade.
- Zak Herbstreit, the son of ESPN and Prime Video analyst Kirk Herbstreit, has joined On3 as a national college football analyst. Herbstreit, a recent graduate of Ohio State University, will be hosting “Off Script,” a new show that will include conversations with players, coaches and voices around football.
