LONDON and NEW YORK—DAZN Group, a global sports streaming platform, has appointed industry veteran Kevin Mayer as the chairman of its Board of Directors. He succeeds John Skipper who is stepping down and will remain on the board 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 in a press statement.
Previously Mayer was chairman of direct-to-consumer and international at The Walt Disney Co., where he launched and managed its streaming businesses including Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ and Hotstar. He was also responsible for overseeing Disney’s global advertising sales, content sales, channels sales and international operations. Prior to that role, Mayer served as Disney’s chief strategy officer, leading the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 21st Century Fox and BamTech.
Skipper, who joined DAZN Group in 2018, is stepping down to focus on newly launched content company Meadowlark Media. 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.”
In the announcement, Len Blavatnik, chairman of Access Industries and DAZN Group's majority investor, said, “As the world of sports and media continues to transform, DAZN Group remains a key holding within the Access portfolio. A seamless transition from John to Kevin and the recent move to deepen the executive team’s expertise with co-CEOs James Rushton and Shay Segev will accelerate the company’s momentum.”
