Venu Sports
Key senior hires include Tim Connolly as chief business officer, Skarpi Hedinson as chief technology officer and Brian Borkowski as chief marketing officer.
Venu Sports, the sports streaming joint venture between Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Fox Inc., has put together a senior management team under CEO Pete Distad.
Venu Sports said it currently has more than 150 engineers and executives working on the launch of the service, which is scheduled to debut in fall 2024. Key senior executive hires announced Tuesday include chief business officer Tim Connolly (formerly of Apple TV+ and Hulu), chief technology officer Skarpi Hedinson (formerly of the LA Rams and Disney/ABC Television Group) and chief marketing officer Brian Borkowski (a former FanDuel and Hulu executive).
Disney, Fox and WBD announced the name of the joint venture, Venu Sports, last month after the three companies announced the venture in February, targeting a fall 2024 launch for the streaming sports bundle. The service will combine ESPN+ with the companies’ linear TV networks that broadcast sports programming (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, TNT, TBS and truTV). Pricing and a specific launch date have not been announced.
“The opportunity to assemble a starting lineup of executives responsible for building the Venu organization, creating the culture, setting the pace for innovation and ultimately accelerating the growth of our offerings in the future was an exciting opportunity,” Distad said in a statement. “We sought out entrepreneurial minds with experience launching products that consumers love and growing high-performing teams who could bring diverse perspectives to Venu Sports, and we assembled a group of all-stars in their fields.”
Venu (pronounced “venue”) said the launch of the streaming bundle is subject to regulatory approval and “the execution of a definitive agreement between the parties.” The parent company is also facing a lawsuit from sports-focused streaming company Fubo, which claims the joint venture violates antitrust laws.
Venu’s team is based in New York and Los Angeles. The senior management team reporting to Distad, a former Apple TV+ executive, includes:
Brian Borkowski is Chief Marketing Officer and is responsible for the marketing, branding and growth strategy for the launch and growth of Venu Sports. Previously, he led marketing at online gambling company FanDuel and held multiple roles at Hulu, including VP of Media and Acquisitions and Head of Subscriber Acquisition. Previously, he was CMO at predictive analytics startup Verikai and held various marketing leadership roles at Neilson Financial Services and Farmers Insurance.
Tim Connolly, Chief Business Officer, is responsible for leading the sports streaming platform’s strategic initiatives including content rights and licensing, distribution and strategic partnerships, business development, subscriber growth and retention strategies. Prior to joining Venu, Tim was at Apple where he led subscriber growth for Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass, and also held senior executive roles at Hulu and Disney.
Amit Dudhakia is Senior Vice President and Head of Product, responsible for all aspects of programming and editorial as well as product management and design for the service. Dudhakia previously held various product leadership roles at Fox Corp. and its portfolio of key entertainment brands, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Product Management for Fox Technology & Digital, where he led the product and design organization for Fox Sports. He began his tenure at Fox Corp. with FX Networks, where he was a key member of the launch teams for FX Now, Simpsons World and FX+.
Skarpi Hedinsson, Chief Technology Officer. Responsible for the technology strategy and execution of the sports streaming service, including building a world-class team of technologists. Prior to joining Venu, Skarpi served as Chief Technology Officer of the Los Angeles Rams, where he led the team responsible for the vision, design and implementation of technology throughout Hollywood Park, including SoFi Stadium, one of the most technologically advanced stadiums in the United States. Prior to joining the Rams, Skarpi served as Chief Technology Officer of Disney/ABC Television Group during a period of significant innovation including the launch of the Watch ABC and Watch Disney services.
David Hillman, Chief Legal Officer, oversees all legal matters for Venu Sports. Prior to joining Venu, he was a key member of Paramount Global’s corporate legal executive management team, most recently serving as EVP and general counsel for CBS Sports, CBS News, Stations and Broadcasting. As part of his role, David oversaw the negotiation of significant strategic content agreements with programming partners, sports leagues and talent. Prior to joining CBS, David served as EVP and general counsel at both Simon & Schuster and Westwood One.
Chief Financial Officer Gautam Ranji will oversee all aspects of financial operations for the sports venture. Prior to joining Venu, Gautam served as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of Sphere Entertainment, where he led all financial functions and was part of the executive team that launched Sphere in Las Vegas. Prior to that, Gautam held senior executive roles at CBS, overseeing strategic planning and business development and co-leading the merger integration following the merger of Viacom with CBS (now Paramount Global). He has also held senior roles at Hearst Corporation and Viacom.
Judy Schwab is Senior Vice President and Head of Human Resources, overseeing all aspects of Venu Sports’ HR strategy and operations, including workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, talent acquisition, talent management and development, total rewards, and the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Prior to Venu, Judy served as HR leader for Apple’s Services division. Prior to Apple, Judy led HR for The Walt Disney Company’s direct-to-consumer businesses, including ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu, and was a key member of the executive leadership team that launched Disney+ and integrated Hulu.