Sports streaming platform DAZN Group has announced the appointment of Kevin Mayer as its new chairman of the board of directors.
Mayer was previously Chairman of Direct-to-Consumer and International at The Walt Disney Company. He was responsible for the launch of the company’s streaming businesses including Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ and Hotstar.
Prior to that role, Mayer served as Disney’s Chief Strategy Officer, leading the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 21st Century Fox and BamTech.
Mayer will replace John Skipper, who is leaving after two years to concentrate on the Meadowlark content business. Additionally, DAZN intends to invest in and collaborate with Meadowlark on original programming projects in the future.
“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.”
Skipper will remain on the DAZN Group Board of Directors and also serve as a strategic adviser to DAZN.
“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 Group incorporates sports streaming platform DAZN, sports portal DAZN News and DAZN Player, the proprietary sports VOD platform for publishers.
