Steve Byrd, formerly Sportradar’s head of global strategic partnerships and Sébastien Audoux, former head of sport at Canal+ Digital, join fan engagement specialist

Byrd + Audoux - Decyfr Advisory Board

Decyfr Sport has added Steve Byrd, formerly Sportradar’s head of global strategic partnerships and Sébastien Audoux, former head of sport at Canal+ Digital, to its advisory board. 

This comes shortly after the company also added Sky Sports NFL presenter Neil Reynolds to the board, and launched an exclusive podcast series with him. KPMG’s former global director of sports tech, Ryan McCumber, and ex-VP of corporate partnerships at the NFL’s Washington Commanders, Rod Nenner, are also part of the advisory board. 

Decyfr commissions, produces and distributes localised sports content targeting new and international fans. 

Byrd has 25 years’ experience in the industry, and left his role at Sportradar in November after over seven years with the company. Meanwhile, Audoux recently left Canal after over 20 years in linear TV broadcasting as a host, announcer, and editor-in-chief, before joining Canal+ digital in 2015 as its head of sport, leading content on social media and the myCANAL OTT platform. 

Decyfr Sport CEO Sid Kohli said: “Securing the signatures of Steve and Sébastien will further consolidate our position as a truly global platform for sports fans in traditionally non-endemic markets – as we look to diversify our operations beyond just the NFL and position ourselves as a multi-sport, multi-language offering.

“Steve’s expertise in the US rights-holders space and his network are second to none, whilst Sébastien is a rare content-commercial hybrid, possessing a unique combination of skills that will undoubtedly push Decyfr forward.”

Audoux commented: “Decyfr’s ambition to grow sports fandom worldwide is an admirable one, it’s a vision I deeply relate to. They are uniquely positioned to help rights owners tackle new markets through the power of content.”

Byrd added: “I’ve worked with leagues and federations around the globe for the past 25 years. They all have tried, with varying degrees of success, to expand beyond their home markets. I believe Decyfr’s approach to inform and educate new fans through entertaining and engaging content will go a long way toward helping these sport organizations achieve their globalization goals.”