Dinnage will be responsible for helping the EPL navigate repurcussions of BrexitGETTY IMAGES
The EPL named Animal Planet Global President SUSANNA DINNAGE CEO, a position that will "make her one of the most prominent women" in pro sports, according to Tariq Panja of the N.Y. TIMES. Dinnage will replace EPL Exec Chair RICHARD SCUDAMORE, who is "stepping down by the end of the year after nearly two decades leading the organization." Dinnage will begin in '19. One of her responsibilities will be "figuring out a way" of keeping the EPL, one of Britain's "biggest international success stories, prospering if the country follows through on plans to exit the European Union." U.K. soccer leaders have "expressed great concern about the impact of Brexit on their operations, with particular concerns about player recruitment and television rights sales" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/14). In London, Matt Dickinson noted it was "always likely" that Scudamore's successor would be chosen from a TV background, and among the contenders for the job were senior execs from the BBC and ITV. Dinnage's main task "will be to oversee negotiations for broadcast deals." With contracts in place through the '22 season, she will have "time to learn the ropes" (LONDON TIMES, 11/14).
BIG TEST AHEAD: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Joshua Robinson notes Dinnage will be "only the fourth person" to hold the top role since the EPL was founded in '92. The coming years "figure to be the biggest test yet of whether this enterprise can remain the most popular sports league on the planet." Dinnage will face "problems including possible TV market saturation and cord-cutting," as well as "threats of the most powerful clubs to split" from the EPL (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 11/14).
