NBCU names new president of NBC Sports

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Rick Cordella has been named president of NBC Sports.

Cordella had been serving as president of programming for NBC Sports and Peacock Sports. Before that, he was both chief commercial officer and chief revenue officer for Peacock, having been part of the founding team behind the streamer.

“Rick has been at the epicenter of NBC Sports for years with a proven track record of growth and innovation across platforms, particularly our flagship NBC network as well as Peacock, where he helped architect our leadership role in sports and streaming,” said Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group in a statement. “Rick will oversee the evolution of our business as we continue to offer the best experiences and content to our viewers, as well as be the best partner to leagues and rights holders.”

Cordella’s appointment was announced Sept. 22, 2023. He will report to Lazarus.

Cordella has been with NBCUniversal since 2006.

Prior to Peacock, he served as Executive Vice President and General Manager, Digital Media, NBC Sports, overseeing all aspects of NBC Sports Digital: direct-to-consumer services, including NBC Sports Gold, NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, Rotoworld.com and ProFootballTalk. Cordella was also a board member of FanDuel, representing NBC Sports’ investment in the daily fantasy and sports betting company.

NBCUniversal is elevating veteran executive Rick Cordella to the role of President, NBC Sports, reporting into Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBCUniversal Media Group.

In this role, Cordella will lead all aspects of NBC Sports’ collection of brands and platforms, which includes NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, Golf Channel, NBC Sports Digital and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine. In addition, Cordella will work with NBC Local on the company’s Regional Sports Network strategy and will continue to oversee Sports on Peacock.

A six-time Sports Emmy Award winner, Cordella previously served as general manager, fantasy sports, where he managed NBC Sports’ fantasy sports properties, including Rotoworld.com, Allstarstats.com and Sandbox.com. He joined NBC Sports in 2006 with NBCUniversal’s acquisition of AllStar Stats Inc., the parent company of Rotoworld.com.

Cordella graduated from Providence College and was a member of the Providence Friar men’s basketball team that reached the NCAA Elite Eight in 1997. He holds an MBA from Boston College.