Rick Cordella is taking the field for NBC Sports.
The executive, who has been enmeshed in developing streaming products for NBCUniversal, has been named president of NBC Sports at a moment when many media companies are working on new models that will make big-ticket TV sports properties available to consumers who have fewer ties to traditional screens.
Cordella will report to Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBCUs media assets. He will oversee all business tied to NBC Sports, NBCUs Olympics broadcasts, the Golf Channel and NBC Sports digital operations. He will also work with NBC Local on strategies for local sports. He replaces Pete Bevacqua, who left NBC Sports to take on a role as athletic director at Notre Dame.
Cordella is no stranger to new sports frontiers. He has in recent years overseen programming strategy across broadcast, cable and streaming as president of programming for both NBC Sports and Peacock. NBC has placed new emphasis on reaching broadband viewers with sports, launching a Sunday-morning game stream with Major League Baseball and making hours and hours of Olympics available via Peacock
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, Lazarus said 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 was a founding member of Peacocks launch team and worked as both the hubs chief commercial officer and chief revenue officer. He has also had a hand in sports betting and sports fantasy, two areas that are see as critical to growth and viewer retention in years ahead.
Cordella has been at NBCU since 2006, serving in a variety of leadership roles. In 2022, Cordella was named President, Programming, NBC Sports and Peacock Sports, where he led NBCUs sports programming strategy across broadcast, cable and streaming and oversaw sports betting, sports fantasy and related efforts.
Prior to joining Peacock, Cordella was executive vice president and general manager of digital media for, NBC Sports. He graduated from Providence College and was a member of the Providence Friar mens basketball team that reached the NCAA Elite Eight in 1997. He holds an MBA from Boston College.