The Action Network, a new sports betting and fantasy content venture created last fall by The Chernin Group, has hired NOAH SZUBSKI as CEO and MATT RESTIVO as Chief Product Officer. Szubski was previously Chief Product Officer for The Daily Mail and before that had roles with Playboy and SpinMedia. Restivo was with Disney-owned BAMTech Media and was GM of the recently debuted ESPN+. Both will be based in N.Y. along with Head of Media CHAD MILLMAN. Chernin Group conducted the search with the aid of Daversa Partners. “We’ve really been heads down since last fall looking to get this right, and are thrilled with the talent we’ve now brought on,” said Chernin Group President of Digital MIKE KERNS. “We believe we have the makings of a world-class team.” The subscription-based content service is likely to see a sizable bump in interest, like many other media entities, should the U.S. Supreme Court pave the way for expanded legal U.S. sports betting. “The possibilities for us are really quite open,” Szubski said. “Even if the Supreme Court doesn’t rule the way we think it will, this is still a very viable and attractive business. But if they do, there is a big opportunity for us to help a lot of different people.”
