John Skipper, Former ESPN President, Named Executive Chairman of Perform Group

John Skipper, Former ESPN President, Named Executive Chairman of Perform Group By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor

Tuesday, May 8, 2018 - 6:48 pm

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Former ESPN President John Skipper has been named Executive Chairman of Perform Group. Skipper, based in New York, will oversee all of the UK-based Perform Group's operations and strategy and report to the Board. Simon Denyer, Perform Group's Founder, will continue as CEO based in London. Skipper resigned suddenly as president of ESPN and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks in December, citing substance addiction issues.

Former ESPN President John Skipper has been named Executive Chairman of Perform Group.

The company says Skipper's hiring reflects Perform Group's strategy for global expansion across all divisions. His focus at Perform Group will likely be the company's growing DAZN sports-focused subscription streaming service. The service - which launched in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Japan in 2016, followed by Canada in 2017 - is expected to be at the center of Perform's plans moving forward.

Simon and his team have built an enormously impressive company, providing an excellent base to establish a global leadership position in the over-the-top sports subscription business, the clear future of sports delivery, Skipper said in Perform Group's announcement. Perform Group's platform and expertise, coupled with its success in launching subscription services in Germany, Japan and Canada provides a model we intend to replicate around the world.

Skipper's resignation late last year came as a shock to many in the industry, especially given that Skipper had just signed a contract extension with Disney through 2021. The news came just days after Skipper granted what turned out to be his final interview as ESPN president at The SVG Summit and also hosted a wide-ranging, two-hour meeting with over 450 of the company's forward-facing talent to address ESPN's strategy in the current evolving media landscape. In March, Skipper revealed to The Hollywood Reporter an extortion plot involving his cocaine use.

Perform is rapidly expanding its role in sports media with significant investments in the best content and our own platform. We are now preparing to push forward with the expansion of DAZN, our live and on-demand streaming service, in more major markets around the world, said Denyer. DAZN is revolutionizing how fans watch their favorite sports. John is one of the most significant leaders in the history of our industry, and I am delighted that he has agreed to join me and the team to help take Perform to the next level of our ambitions.

Since our initial investment ten years ago, Perform has become one of the most important brands in the sports media industry and a key holding in the Access portfolio, added Len Blavatnik, Chairman Access Industries and Perform Group's majority shareholder. John's addition to the team and Board will help the company continue its impressive progress.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2018/05/08/john-skipper-former-espn-presid...
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