NEW YORK – Sept. 22, 2023 – NBCUniversal is elevating veteran executive Rick Cordella to the role of President, NBC Sports, reporting into Mark Lazarus, Chairman, NBCUniversal Media Group.
In this role, Cordella will lead all aspects of NBC Sports’ collection of brands and platforms, which includes NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, Golf Channel, NBC Sports Digital and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine. In addition, Cordella will work with NBC Local on the company’s Regional Sports Network strategy and will continue to oversee Sports on Peacock, home to the most live sports of any streamer.
“Rick has been at the epicenter of NBC Sports for years with a proven track record of growth and innovation across platforms, particularly our flagship NBC network as well as Peacock, where he helped architect our leadership role in sports and streaming,” Lazarus said. “Rick will oversee the evolution of our business as we continue to offer the best experiences and content to our viewers, as well as be the best partner to leagues and rights holders.”
Cordella has been at NBCU since 2006, serving in a variety of leadership roles. In 2022, Cordella was named President, Programming, NBC Sports and Peacock Sports, where he led NBCU’s sports programming strategy across broadcast, cable and streaming and oversaw sports betting, sports fantasy and related efforts.
Previously, Cordella, who was a member of the Peacock founding team, served as Peacock’s Chief Commercial Officer following a stint as Chief Revenue Officer. In these capacities, he oversaw programming, including entertainment, news, film and sports, channels and live events, ultimately contributing to record-breaking achievements in 2022, including the most-streamed Olympics and Super Bowl in history. He also held responsibilities spanning platform launch, content strategy, product, monetization efforts, editorial, standards and practices, and sports rights acquisition.
Prior to Peacock, he served as Executive Vice President and General Manager, Digital Media, NBC Sports, overseeing all aspects of NBC Sports Digital: direct-to-consumer services, including NBC Sports Gold, NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, Rotoworld.com and ProFootballTalk. Cordella was also a board member of FanDuel, representing NBC Sports’ investment in the daily fantasy and sports betting company.
A six-time Sports Emmy Award winner, Cordella previously served as General Manager, Fantasy Sports, where he managed NBC Sports’ fantasy sports properties, including Rotoworld.com, Allstarstats.com and Sandbox.com. He joined NBC Sports in 2006 with NBCUniversal’s acquisition of AllStar Stats, Inc., the parent company of Rotoworld.com.
Cordella graduated from Providence College and was a member of the Providence Friar men’s basketball team that reached the NCAA Elite Eight in 1997. He holds an MBA from Boston College.