Major League Baseball has announced that it is hiring Josh Clark to serve as senior vice president of content distribution, a new position instituted within the league that will be involved in its media ventures. Within his new role, Clark will be responsible for overseeing distribution agreements for local media live game rights, MLB Network, MLB.TV and Extra Innings utilizing third-party distribution channels.
Clark will be reporting to Kenny Gersh, who currently works as the league’s executive vice president of media and business development.
Clark enters the role with more than 15 years of experience in roles with linear and distribution partners. He is joining the league after most recently being employed at Paramount as the executive vice president of U.S. networks distribution. While he was with the company for a six-year stretch, he was responsible for overseeing the structuring and execution of distribution agreements for linear, direct-to-consumer, and video-on-demand platforms.
In the years ensuing, he held positions with Dish Network/Sling TV and NBCUniversal, which followed his graduation from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, summa cum laude.
“Josh’s strong relationships and track record of success at some of the biggest media companies in the world makes him an ideal addition to grow MLB’s content distribution globally,” Noah Garden, MLB chief revenue officer, said in a statement. “Additionally, as we anticipate the potential of incorporating more MLB Clubs into our local media framework, Josh will play an integral role in helping to maximize reach of MLB’s television and digital assets.”
The new position is geared to assist the league in expanding the breadth of its local media capabilities, which were accentuated last season when it assumed regional broadcasts for the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. This was necessitated by the ongoing Ch. 11 bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group, which began selectively rejecting rights contracts after MLB failed to grant it DTC rights for its local broadcast teams.
The indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Sinclair, Inc. operates the Bally Sports-branded RSNs it acquired from The Walt Disney Company in 2019 as part of the latter’s antitrust agreement. It recently came to terms on a deal with the NBA that relinquishes its local rights following the 2023-24 season, estimating that it can continue to operate its business through the 2024 MLB season.
The proposed cooperation agreement between Diamond and its stakeholders, however, will not become effective unless the management services agreement (MSA) with Sinclair is assumed or rejected by Nov. 30, 2023. In the event that Diamond forgoes responsibilities of producing and disseminating regional games for teams next season, MLB remains ready to take over; however, it remains unknown if the league will reimburse afflicted teams at least 80% of the fees they would have been paid as it did last season to retain competitive balance.
