Amazon has tapped former top ESPN exec Marie Donoghue to head up all sports programming.
In her new role as VP of sports video, Donoghue will oversee the NFL’s Thursday Night Football games, which stream live on Amazon, as well as the platform’s coverage of other events, including tennis (U.S. Open coverage is available for Prime subscribers in the U.K. and Ireland), and soccer (Premier League matches will begin to air in 2019, and Prime subscribers will have access to a full match-day of programming twice this season).
Donoghue, who was with ESPN for 17 years, previously served as an EVP of global strategy and original content. She was an integral player in the network’s acclaimed documentary series 30 For 30, and she also earned an Oscar for the documentary O.J.: Made In America. CNBC notes that Amazon is looking to grow its own original sports documentary portfolio, having recently launched the eight-part All Or Nothing about the Manchester City soccer team (see below). It has a four-part behind-the-scenes look at the French team, who won this year’s World Cup, set to arrive in coming months.
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As it onboards Donoghue, Amazon has lost several execs within its greater video operation in recent months. Former unscripted TV head Heather Schuster was reportedly let go after an investigation into inappropriate comments, and top film executive Jason Ropell left amid a shift in strategy in July.
