He also leaves board of directors after end of two-year contract

Kevin Mayer DAZN

Kevin Mayer has stepped down as chairman and from DAZN Group’s board of directors, after his two-year contract came to an end.

Mayer took the role in March 2021, replacing John Skipper. Skipper became executive chairman in 2018 before leaving the role to concentrate on newly launched content company Meadowlark Media, but stayed on the DAZN Group board of directors until May 2022. 

Mayer arrived at DAZN shortly after it made its global launch, and has seen the streaming platform become a major player across Europe, with domestic Serie A, LaLiga, and Bundesliga rights, and a partnership with boxer Anthony Joshua. It also recently completed the acquisition of fellow European broadcaster Eleven - a deal which saw Eleven founder Andrea Radrizzani join DAZN’s board as an executive director. 

The company missed out on an acquisition of BT Sport last year, with Warner Bros. Discovery forming a joint venture with the British broadcaster and Mayer explaining that DAZN did not think the deal was value for money.

Before DAZN, Mayer was chairman of direct-to-consumer and international at Disney and ran Disney’s streaming businesses Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ and Hotstar, as well as overseeing Disney’s global advertising sales, content sales, channels sales and international operations. During his over 30 years in the industry, Mayer was also chief strategic officer at Disney, driving the acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 21st Century Fox and BamTech.

There is no announcement as to how, when, or if a successor to Mayer will be appointed.

Lincoln Benet, chief executive of Leonard Blavatnik’s Access Industries and DAZN director, said: “On behalf of Access Industries and the DAZN Board, we want to thank Kevin for his chairmanship and support of DAZN’s management over the last two years. It has been a period of tremendous progress and, as the business’s principal shareholder, we are extremely confident in the talent and ambition of DAZN’s people, vision and strategy.  We wish Kevin every success in his other ventures and are pleased he will remain a friend and shareholder of DAZN as it continues on its positive trajectory”.

Shay Segev, DAZN’s CEO, added: “Kevin has been a fantastic support and counsel during a period of rapid transformation for the business. I am personally grateful for his invaluable contribution and speak for all DAZN management when I wish him the very best in his other endeavours. DAZN continues to go from strength to strength as we fast become the ultimate destination for sports fans globally.” 

Mayer commented: “Extraordinary progress has been made over the last two years. The business is in great shape and is well positioned to become the true global home of sport. It has been an honour to be part of the journey and I look forward to watching DAZN continue to thrive. I leave knowing the business is in very capable hands.”