Genius Sports Gains Former ESPN CEO
Sports data and technology provider Genius Sports has announced the appointment of the former chief executive of ESPN and founder of the NFL Network Steve Borstein to president of the company’s North American business. Bornstein will be tackling the US and Canadian markets, as the London-based Genius continues to expand in these regions.
Genius Sports has appointed the former chief executive of ESPN and founder of the NFL Network Steve Borstein to president of the technology provider’s North American division. ©kinkate/Pixabay
Bornstein Will Work With Genius’ New and Existing Partners
Steve Bornstein, the former chief executive of the world-renowned sports network ESPN, as well as the founder of the NFL Network, is joining sports data and technology provider Genius Sports as the new president of the company’s North American division.
As part of this new role at Genius, the sports industry mogul is expected to aid and direct the provider’s continued expansion and growth into the US and Canadian markets.
Genius Sports holds an array of both current and existing partners and clients, which include the likes of brands such as the National Football League, Nascar, the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball.
Bornstein will also collaborate closely with the company’s team of executives in order to specify which new North American acquisition targets the provider intends to set its eyes on. He will also most likely support the assimilation of newly acquired entities into the broader Genius Sports universe. The company’s most recent acquisition was data tracking and visualization solutions pioneer Second Spectrum in May 2021.
Former ESPN CEO Is Bringing 20+ Years’ Worth of Experience
Genius Sports has secured a strong asset with the appointment of Steve Bornstein to the role of president of the company’s North American division. This is because Bornstein brings over 20 years’ worth of professional experience while at both ESPN and ABC.
Back in 1998, the New Jersey-native became the sports network’s youngest president and chief executive at the time, spearheading the launch of such important sub-brands such as ESPN2, ESPN News, ESPN Radio, ESPN Classic, ESPN International, ESPN The Magazine, the ESPYs and the X-Games.
If his experience at ESPN were not symbolically important enough, Bornstein also launched the NFL Network, which is the NFL’s-own television network. He also served as the channel’s president and chief executive, helping steer the league’s division and driving negotiations on various sponsorship deals as the network’s vice president of media.
Finally, Bornstein has also served as corporate vice president of Capital Cities/ABC, as well as president of ABC and ABC Sports — positions in which he handled all media assets for the massive ABC/Disney empire.
Appointment Comes at a Time of Major Growth at Genius
The appointment of Steve Bornstein to president of Genius Sports’s North American division comes at a highly opportune moment for the data and technology solutions provider, with the company’s chief executive Mark Locke praising Bornstein’s extensive pedigree:
“As we continue to execute on our growth strategy in North America, we look forward to benefiting from a visionary like Steve who played a major role in shaping the growth and success of iconic brands like ESPN and the NFL,” Genius Sports chief executive. As a leader, he exemplifies the values set out at Genius and will help us progress our culture of collaboration and innovation.”– Mark Locke, Chief Executive, Genius Sports
Bornstein himself expressed his excitement in joining such a major player in the sports betting world, acknowledging the significant moment in which Genius Sports currently finds itself:
“I am excited to join Genius Sports at this time in the company’s growth. And I’m delighted to partner with Mark and his outstanding team as Genius demonstrates and deepens its commitment to drive real value for its partners in the U.S. and Canada. I can’t wait to get started.”
Genius Became AFA’s Official Partner in June 2021
The North American and Canadian markets are far from the only ones Genius Sports is expanding into. In June 2021, the sports content provider was picked to become the Official Data & Streaming partner for all Argentine Football Association (“AFA”) events.
The logic behind the partnership rests on the hope that Genius Sports is in a unique position to drive fan engagement by aiding sports organizations such as AFA to gather and share data about games and players.
Claudio Tapia, President of the Argentine Football Association, described the partnership with Genius as vital to expanding Argentinian football’s popularity across the globe:
“Today, we are very happy to announce this strategic alliance with Genius Sports, the leading sports technology company that trusts in our association and vision and will help equip us for a digital future. We are convinced that this partnership will be critical to expanding the visibility of Argentine soccer across the world and also opens up a range of new commercial possibilities.”– Claudio Tapia, President, Argentine Football Association
Italy’s Microgame Has Also Joined Forces With Genius
Crossing the Atlantic now to Italy, leading betting platform provider Microgame announced an exclusive partnership together with Genius Sports Group back in February 2021.
As part of the deal, the technology innovations provider will open up access to its world-renowned in-play sportsbook services to Microgame. The Italian sports betting operator’s diverse customer base will now enjoy access to Genius Sports Group’s official live sports data and pricing during major sporting events.
Microgame’s Intrabos platform currently features over 25 licensed Italian sportsbooks and will soon be equipped with Genius Sports Group’s LiveData and LiveTrading sportsbook technologies.
