NBC Sports named Pete Bevacqua, the former CEO of the Professional Golf Association, as the new president of the NBCUniversal unit – the first time it has had an executive in that role since the unit was reorganized in 2011 in the wake of Comcast taking control of NBCU in 2011.
Bevacqua is expected to oversee programming, marketing, digital, NBC’s regional sports networks and business related to golf. He will report to Mark Lazarus, chairman of NBC Broadcasting and Sports, and will start at the company in September.
Bevacqua steps aboard after NBC Sports has expanded into several new areas. The unit now operates NBC Sports Gold, a subscription video service, and SportsEngine, an online community centered on youth and amateur sports leagues. In a sign of the amount of sports inventory within NBC’s reach, NBC Sports so far this year has televised not only the Winter Olympics, but also the most recent Super Bowl and Spanish-language broadcasts of the World Cup tournament. Meanwhile, NBC Sports’ top executive, Mark Lazarus, has also taken on responsibility for NBCUniversal’s owned and operated stations.
NBC Sports has not had a president since Ken Schanzer, a veteran who supervised many of the company’s negotiations for sports rights, left in the wake of legendary former NBC Sports chief Dick Ebersol stepping down from his post after Comcast bought a majority stake in NBCU.
Popular on Variety
“With the expansion of NBC Sports Group over the last seven years, and our continuing investments in new and existing businesses, adding Pete to our already strong management team will help us organize for future growth,” said Lazarus, in a prepared statement. “We are thrilled to have someone with his experience and reputation join our organization.”
Bevacqua had served as CEO of the PGA,which supervises the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup and serves more than 29,000 members,, since 2012. Prior to his PGA role, Bevacqua served as the global head of golf at Creative Artists Agency.
