DAZN Group said it named Kevin Mayer, the former top streaming executive at Disney, as chairman of the board.
Mayer replaces John Skipper, the former head of Disney’s ESPN business, who joined DAZN, the global sports streaming service, in 2018.
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Skipper will focus on his new company Meadowlark Media. DAZN will be making an investment in Meadowlark. Skipper will remain on the DAZN board of directors and serve as a strategic advisor to DAZN.
At Disney, Mayer spearheaded the launch of Disney Plus as CEO of Disney’s direct-to-consumer and international unit. He left as Disney restructured its senior management, naming Bob Chapek as its new CEO.
Mayer later also headed TikTok, but left after the Trump Administration pushed its breakup because of objections to its Chinese ownership.
“As Chairman, I’m looking forward to partnering with the management team and my fellow directors to help DAZN build on its impressive track record of success in developing a truly global sports platform,” said Mayer. “Since I began working with Access Industries last year, I’ve been impressed with DAZN’s ambitions and ability to quickly grow from a new entrant to an important player in key markets throughout the world. I look forward to guiding DAZN’s strategic development into its next chapter.”
DAZN is headquartered in the U.K. and operates a global sports streaming system.
“I’m incredibly proud of what the team has accomplished over the past several years. We’ve secured rights to the world’s premier sports leagues, dramatically increased subscriptions and revenues, and launched our platform in more than 200 countries and territories,” said Skipper. “It’s the ideal moment to transition the company into its next phase of growth. Having worked closely with Kevin at The Walt Disney Company for more than two decades, I can’t think of a better person to lead the DAZN Group board of directors.”
