Broadcaster Sinclair has tapped media and tech govt Jeff Blackburn chairman and chief govt Officer of Tennis Channel, main the community’s strategic and enlargement throughout digital, streaming and world platforms.
He replaces longtime Tennis Channel CEO Ken Solomon. who exited final fall.
Blackburn was most not too long ago SVP of World Media and Leisure at Amazon, the place he labored for twenty-four years, changing into the prime architect of the corporate’s enlargement into streaming and sports activities. He was instrumental in constructing Prime Video, Amazon Studios, Amazon Music and Amazon’s promoting and market divisions.
Previous to that he labored in Operations, Retail and Company and Enterprise Improvement at Amazon. Blackburn started his profession as an funding banker at Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Financial institution, the place he oversaw Amazon’s IPO in 1997.
“Jeff’s appointment marks a pivotal step in our technique to speed up Tennis Channel’s development and unlock long-term worth throughout Sinclair’s portfolio,” stated Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley. “With a monitor file of driving innovation and scaling multibillion-dollar media companies, Jeff brings the strategic imaginative and prescient and operational experience to develop our digital footprint, deepen viewers engagement, and capitalize on world sports activities and streaming tendencies. His management shall be instrumental as we proceed to develop Tennis Channel’s distribution and develop its direct-to-consumer providing, additional establishing Tennis Channel asa world, always-on vacation spot for followers throughout each display and platform.”
Throughout his tenure at Amazon, Blackburn led high-profile initiatives such because the launch of Thursday Evening Soccer on Prime which gained the Sports activities Emmy for Excellent Interactive Broadcast in its debut 12 months, and the event and launch of break-through TV collection that gained a number of Emmys together with Clear, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Fleabag, and The Boys. He additionally performed a pivotal function in Amazon’s acquisition and full integration of MGM to create Amazon MGM Studios.
He presently sits on the Board of Administrators of Roku, DoorDash, and UTR Sports activities.
“Tennis Channel is a sports activities treasure,” stated Blackburn. “It’s beloved by followers of the sport, permitting for big development alternatives forward in streaming in addition to new initiatives like Pickleball. Since childhood I’ve been intensely enthusiastic about tennis, so I’m thrilled to tackle the function and be part of this excellent workforce.”
Tennis Channel and sibling community TennisChannel 2 are the unique U.S. houses of all males’s ATP World Tour and girls’s WTA Tour competitions, Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, United Cup, and Laver Cup. The community’s app and web site home a direct-to-consumer streaming service with the standard tv community and 10,000 hours of stay and on-demand matches in addition to authentic content material. Tennis Channel Worldwide brings stay competitors and community content material to markets in Europe and Asia by way of digital subscription and free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels.
Further platform www.tennis.com is the most important digital outlet devoted to the game. Tennis Channel can be a co-owner of Pickleballtv, a three way partnership with the Skilled Pickleball Affiliation.
