Following a very brief tenure with NBC’s Today show, Jamie Horowitz is back in the sports world.
The former ESPN executive has been named president of Fox Sports National Networks, where he will be in charge of both Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports 2, overseeing all programming, marketing and scheduling. He will report to Eric Shanks, president, COO and executive producer, Fox Sports and will be based out of the Fox Network Center in Los Angeles. He is scheduled to start mid-May.
“Fox Sports 1 is the fastest growing sports channel in the country, and we’ve seen about a 30% viewership increase overall, and 50% increase for live events, year over year,” said Shanks. “That substantial growth has made it necessary to more clearly define our organizational structure so we’re better positioned for long-term success. Bringing an extremely creative executive like Jamie aboard to oversee our national cable channels ties everything together.”
Additionally, John Entz has been promoted to president of production for Fox Sports and David Nathanson, who had previously run FS1 and FS2, will head up business operations.
“David has been a terrific leader and has done a masterful job positioning FOX Sports 1 for enormous growth,” continued Shanks. “Among other properties, he was the key executive responsible for Fox Sports having won the rights to the World Cup and Women’s World Cup through 2026, and tapping those skills going forward no doubt will help the entire FOX Sports organization grow faster, sooner.”
During his tenure with ESPN, Horowitz helmed several successful shows for the cable network, including First Take, Olbermann, Numbers Never Lie and SportsNation. Horowitz left ESPN last year to take over NBC’s struggling morning show Today, but left after a couple months following clashes with the staff.
