The search is almost over for NBC. John Ourand of Sports Business Journal reports that the network should have a new new chairman for NBC Sports in the coming weeks.
“When Pete Bevacqua left NBC Sports for Notre Dame back in June, Mark Lazarus said that he did not feel any pressure to quickly fill his position,” Ourand wrote in his Monday newsletter. “Insiders say they expect a decision to be made by the end of this month.”
Lazarus, Chairman of NBCUniversal Media, prioritized finding a replacement for Linda Yaccarino first. She oversaw the group’s advertising department before leaving to serve as CEO of X (formerly Twitter).
Ourand reports that “NBC Sports Programming President Rick Cordella appears to be the most likely” solution for the network. He says that he has also heard former Turner Sports COO Matthew Hong is a candidate.
Disney’s President/Platform Distribution Justin Connolly was identified as “a top candidate” last week by Puck News.
Pete Bevacqua joined NBC Sports as its president in 2018. He was promoted to chairman in 2020. In June, he announced that he will spend a year shadowing Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick, before assuming the role himself.
