Skipper will be based in N.Y., and will oversee all of Perform Group's operations and strategy GETTY IMAGES
U.K.-based global sports media company Perform Group appointed JOHN SKIPPER Exec Chair. Skipper previously served as President of ESPN, where he worked for 20 years across all areas of business. Skipper will be based in N.Y., and will oversee all of Perform Group's operations and strategy and report to the Board. Perform Group Founder SIMON DENYER will continue as CEO, based in London (Perform). In DC, Matt Bonesteel notes Skipper resigned as ESPN President in December after "admitting to a years-long 'substance addiction.'" Perform Group, which has nearly 3,000 employees in more than 30 countries, owns DAZN, an "online service that offers live events from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, NCAA, soccer, tennis and other sports to subscribers in Canada, Germany, Austria, Japan and Switzerland." Skipper "developed relationships with many of those leagues" since becoming ESPN President in '12. Perform Group also "owns Goal.com, a soccer website, and data provider Opta Sports along with" a 65% stake in Sporting News (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 5/8).
