John Skipper to Remain on Board of Directors and Serve as Strategic Adviser
DAZN Group, the leading global sports streaming platform, today announced Kevin Mayer has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors. With more than three decades of executive experience in the media industry, Mayer will provide strategic direction to DAZN’s strong leadership team as the company continues along its aggressive growth trajectory.
Mayer was previously Chairman of Direct-to-Consumer and International at The Walt Disney Company. There, he launched and ran the company’s streaming businesses including Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ and Hotstar, as well as 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.
John Skipper, who joined DAZN Group in 2018, is stepping down to focus his efforts on Meadowlark Media, a newly launched content company. Skipper will remain on the DAZN Group Board of Directors and also serve as a strategic adviser to DAZN. 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.”
“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.”
“As the world of sports and media continues to transform, DAZN Group remains a key holding within the Access portfolio,” said Len Blavatnik, Chairman of Access Industries and DAZN Group’s majority investor. “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.”