Sinclair Broadcast Group has tapped former Hulu and Fox executive Randy Freer to chair a new five-member “board of managers” to help oversee its Diamond Sports Group, the subsidiary that manages the broadcaster's 19 Bally Sports-branded regional sports networks. 

The board will also include David Preschlack, a former marketing executive for NBC and Disney/ESPN; Maryann Turcke, a senior adviser to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and former chief operating officer for the pro football league; and Bob Whitsitt, a longtime operations executive with both the NBA and NFL. 

Also read: Sinclair and Charter Reach Deal, Includes Bally Sports RSNs

Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley will also sit on the board, which replaces a three-member board that included David Dunn, Jason Pappas and Steve Rosenberg. 

Separately — but relatedly — Sinclair announced the closure of a new $635 million credit facility that it said will be used to help take Diamond Sports Group's 19 Bally Sports-branded RSNs over the top with Bally Sports Plus. 

“In the past couple of months, we have successfully closed on Diamond’s new financing to fully fund our business plan and successfully renewed programming with one of our largest distributors," Ripley said in a statement. 

Also read: Sinclair's Bally Sports Streaming Service Gets Affirmation from the Kansas City Royals

“With these open items behind us and with this impressive slate of independent directors, we are excited to focus on the continued enhancement and evolution of our distribution channels for this unique content offering,“ he said. “With the start of the full Major League Baseball season, our Bally Sports RSNs opened to strong TV audiences with household viewing impressions up versus the same period last year. This should bode well for the DTC soft launch of five RSNS with MLB teams later this quarter and then a full DTC launch this September. While the DTC pricing will be announced closer to going live, it is anticipated to have an attractive price point as compared to other similar professional sports DTC offerings.”

Also on Wednesday, during its Q1 earnings call, Sinclair said that effective March 1, it separated the financials and commentary for Diamond Sports from Sinclair’s core operations, which include the second-biggest TV station group in the U.S. as well as cable’s Tennis Channel. 

Sinclair paid most of the $10.6 billion it took to build its 19-network Bally Sports empire in 2019, and the broadcast group remains heavily in debt because of that bold venture. 

To mitigate the debt problem, Sinclair plans to tack onto its existing MVPD model a direct-to-consumer streaming service for the Bally Sports channels.

Sinclair reported a first-quarter revenue decline of 14.8% year-over-year to $1.29 billion. Advertising sales were in line, but distribution revenue fell over 21% to  $873 million.

Since Diamond Sports revenue was separated out a month before the quarter ended, however, comparables are skewed. ■

The Walt Disney Co. has named veteran Hulu marketing executive Kelly Campbell as president of the streaming service.

Campbell, who had been CMO, will report to Kevin Mayer, chairman of Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer & International unit.

The move follows the departure of Hulu CEO Randy Freer, who announced his exit last month as Disney asserts more control over Hulu. Disney last year acquired a controlling interest in Hulu, which had been a joint venture between Fox, NBCUniversal and Time Warner Inc.

Also read: Freer Leaving Hulu as Disney Asserts Control

“Kelly is an immensely talented leader who has been a driving force in defining Hulu’s brand vision and strategy,” said Mayer. “She has built a tremendous multi-talented team and developed strategic campaigns that helped double Hulu’s subscriber base. Our senior leadership team is excited to welcome her aboard and can’t wait to work together to further grow Hulu’s footprint in the US and beyond.”

As CMO, Campbell was responsible for subscribers growth, brand content and business to business marketing, creative development, research and insights and viewer experience.

Also read: Disney Plus: How It Went From Zero to 28.6 Million in Less Than Three Months

Before Hulu, Campbell was at Google, and JPMorgan Chase. 

“This is a time of tremendous growth and transformation for Hulu, and I am incredibly energized by the opportunity ahead as we enter into this next chapter,” said Campbell. “The Hulu team is among the brightest, most technologically and creatively audacious in the industry, and I know we are going to do great things as part of the pioneering and equally bold team Kevin has built at DTCI.”

Fox Networks Group has named Brian Sullivan president and chief operating officer, assuming the role vacated when former FNG COO Randy Freer was tapped to head OTT service Hulu last month.

Sullivan will directly oversee revenue and distribution for the Fox Television Group, FX, Fox Sports and National Geographic Partners. He will also continue to lead FNG’s Digital Consumer Group which is responsible for its authenticated streaming apps. He will report to Fox Networks Group chairman and CEO and 21st Century Fox president Peter Rice. 

Freer was named CEO of Hulu – which is 30% owned by FNG parent 21st Century Fox – last month after then-CEO Michael Hopkins resigned to become chairman of Sony Pictures Television.

“Brian is an incredibly talented executive and has been instrumental in leading the direct to consumer efforts across our brands,” Rice said in a statement. “Brian’s track record at Sky and his proven expertise in building digital video consumer products has made him an invaluable part of our senior leadership team, and I look forward to working with him to continue to focus and operationalize our revenue, distribution and D2C efforts.”

Sullivan has been president and COO of Fox Networks’ Digital Consumer Group since 2015 leading digital strategy for all the group’s network brands and authenticated streaming products.

Sullivan began his career working at Showtime Networks, then moved to FNG parent 21st Century Fox’s satellite unit Sky in the U.K. and Germany. He held several roles at Sky U.K., eventually becoming managing director of its Customer Group, and was instrumental in the creation of Sky Digital, Sky+, Sky HD and Sky Broadband. In Germany, Sullivan was CEO of Sky Deutschland, and his team was responsible for turning around the operation and his team turned around the operation, launching several products, including live sport/entertainment streaming service Sky Go.

“Fox Networks Group’s exceptional portfolio of brands continues to have an unrivalled reach and influence around the world at a time of dramatic transformation for our industry,” Sullivan said in a statement. “I look forward to my expanded role as I continue working with FNG’s leadership to grow our business and drive consumer choice in the emerging TV ecosystem.”

As a result of Sullivan’s appointment, Michael Biard, president, Distribution, and Joe Marchese, president, Ad Revenue, will now report to him. At the same time, the advertising revenue group is being reorganized and Danielle Maged, executive vice president, Global Solutions, will now report to Marchese. FNG Europe and Africa president Jan Koeppen and FNG Latin America president Carlos Martinez will report jointly to Sullivan and Rice.

Sony Pictures Entertainment said it has tapped Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins as chairman of Sony Pictures Television, while Fox Networks Group chief operating officer Randy Freer will move to the streaming service as CEO.

The moves come as a surprise. Hopkins has been with Hulu since 2013 and has steered the company to acclaim for its original programming – its Handmaid’s Tale won the 2017 Emmy Award for Best Drama – and comes just months after the service embarked on an aggressive campaign to add live TV to its mix. 

The move will reunite Hopkins with his former boss at Fox Networks Group Tony Vinciquerra, who now heads Sony Pictures Entertainment as chairman and CEO.

“I’ve known Mike for years and can think of no better person to lead our television businesses during a time of such extraordinary evolution and opportunity,” Vinciquerra said in a statement. “Mike is a proven and innovative leader who has played a key role in redefining today’s television landscape, both for consumers and for how content producers reach them.  We are thrilled to have him at SPE to work alongside our deep bench of talent and lead our studio to even greater heights.”

Hopkins fills the spot left vacant when SPT chief Steve Mosko stepped down last year. Hopkins will oversee all television production, distribution and marketing operations globally for the studio, as well as SPE’s media networks business.  He will officially start in late November and report to Vinciquerra.

 “Tony has long been a colleague and mentor of mine, and I’m really excited to join him and the rest of the talented team at SPE,” Hopkins said in a statement.  “There is a tremendous opportunity to build on SPT’s momentum globally and I look forward to working with the team to realize that potential.  I want to thank Tony and Kaz for this incredible opportunity.”

Sony Pictures Television has produced top series like Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, The Blacklist, The Goldbergs, Shark Tank, Preacher, Outlander, as well as shows for digital platforms like as One Day at a Time for Netflix.  SPT also produces first-run syndicated programs such as Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, and network daytime serials The Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives.

Freer, who has been president and COO at Fox Networks since 2013, will be based in Lons Angeles. His new job is effective Monday.

“We want to thank Mike [Hopkins] for his leadership in steering Hulu to its current era of growth and success,” Hulu’s board of directors said in a statement. “Randy has a unique knowledge of Hulu and expertise building consensus among its owners, and an excellent track record leading a complex organization at the nexus of the television business. There’s no better candidate to lead Hulu as it embarks on its next chapter.”

At Fox Networks Group, Freer oversaw revenue, distribution, operations, business development and strategy for all aspects of the Fox Television Group, FX, FOX Sports and National Geographic Partners, and was responsible for rights acquisitions and team and league relationships on behalf of FOX Sports.

Prior to being named to his current position, Freer served as co-president and COO, Fox Sports Media Group, where he focused on growing and enhancing Fox Sports’ portfolio of league, conference, and team media rights.  In recent years, he oversaw the negotiations that led to long-term agreements with the National Football League, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, and the USGA, as well as with the Pac-12, Big 12, and Big East Conferences. Freer also played a significant role in Fox’s landmark acquisitions of the World Cup and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).  He also was at the forefront of the acquisition of true[X], an engagement and on-demand marketing company which serves as a key component of FNG’s non-linear advertising products and services.

“Hulu is at the center of transformation in entertainment,” Freer said in a statement. “Hulu’s management team and employees have positioned Hulu to be a leader in defining the future of content creation, distribution and monetization – all while putting the viewer first. I’d like to thank Hulu’s Board for this exciting opportunity.”

Fox Sports University has partnered with 27 universities for 2014-2015, to provide real-world experience to graduate and undergraduate students, while bringing new ideas to Fox as well.

In the program, students and Fox Sports executives will work through real-world solutions, campaigns and products, which will be launched across Fox Sports businesses.

University of North Carolina, Indiana University, Auburn University and NYU, as well as more journalism and business schools, public relations and sports management programs have been involved in the individual projects, which address current business, technology, marketing or research challenges across a Fox Sports business.

Five full-time job placements with Fox Sports and over 30 internships have come forth through Fox Sports U. Student-run campaigns have also won Emmy, Telly, Addy, Golden Matrix and Promax awards throughout the program.

Fox Sports U was founded in 2008 with one school by Randy Freer, who is now President and COO of FOX Networks Group.

 Looking to better align its ad sales teams on the broadcast and cable sides, Fox has elevated Toby Byrne to president of advertising sales for Fox Networks Group.

Byrne, who will continue in his role as president of Fox Broadcasting of Sales, will now have oversight of national ad sales functions and revenue-generating strategies for Fox Networks Group's domestic,entertainment and sports television businesses, He will continue to report to Fox Networks Group president and COO Randy Freer.

The integration will meld the cable and broadcast network sales organizations. The goal is to make the combined group more effective in serving advertising partners and drive revenue with a focus on relationships, people and innovative advertising products. In his new capacity, Byrne will lead revenue growth across all FNG assets, with Fox’s cable sales chief Lou LaTorre reporting to him.

"Toby is an exceptional leader that has guided our successful effort to combine broadcast and national cable sales for Fox Sports, led the revenue launch of Fox Sports 1, and spearheaded our push for recognition of the C7 metric in the upfront,” said Freer.  “He is the right person to creatively lead the Fox sales team as they bring our terrific content to market, drive revenue, and create maximum benefit for our marketing partners across all platforms and devices.”

Noted Byrne: “The ad marketplace has changed dramatically in just the last few years. We no longer live in a linear, single-stream environment, and we need to structure our sales organization to thrive in the evolving media marketplace.  By combining the best attributes of our broadcast, sports, cable and digital sales organizations, we will better serve our clients in developing impactful marketing solutions.”