Turner Sports Promotes Matt Hong to Chief Operating Officer

One of the rising stars in the sports media industry continues the climb the ladder as Matt Hong has been promoted by Turner Sports to the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer.

In his expanded role, Hong will now oversee all aspects of Turner’s involvement in setting the strategic direction and leading day-to-day operations of NBA TV, NBA App, NBA LEAGUE PASS and NBA.com, each part of the extensive NBA Digital portfolio co-managed by Turner Sports and the NBA.

In addition, Hong will add responsibility for programming of the division’s sports assets across TNT, TBS and truTV.  Hong will also continue to oversee strategy, rights acquisitions, marketing, and digital for Turner Sports.

In addition to being a central figure in Turner’s partnership with the NBA, Hong will continue to manage day-to-day business relationships with the NCAA, MLB and PGA of America. Hong’s leadership role also continues to extend to Turner’s owned and operated Bleacher Report; NCAA Digital and NCAA March Madness Live; PGA.com and PGA Championship Live; and the Ryder Cup suite of digital offerings.

“Matt is an exceptional leader, and his business acumen and ability to combine strategic thinking and innovation with operational execution throughout the Turner Sports portfolio have been instrumental in driving our success,” said Lenny Daniels, President of Turner Sports. “Highly regarded throughout our entire industry, I strongly value Matt’s perspectives.  This increased scope of responsibility is a well-deserved recognition for his important role across all aspects of our division.”

As part of Hong’s new role, Albert “Scooter” Vertino, SVP of Programming, Turner Sports, and General Manager of NBA Digital, will now report to Hong, along with senior leaders including Dave Finocchio, CEO of Bleacher Report; Val Immele, SVP of Business, Turner Sports; and Mark Johnson, SVP of Digital, Turner Sports.  Hong will continue to report to Daniels.

Previously, Hong was Executive Vice President and General Manager of Turner Sports, a position he held since 2014.  Prior to receiving that promotion, he was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Sports Operations within the division over a five-year span.  He joined Turner in 2008 as Vice President & General Manager of Sports Digital.

Throughout his Turner career, Hong has been closely associated with several milestones for the company including the original NCAA multimedia rights agreement and the recent enhanced deal extending the partnership through 2032.  He was also heavily involved with the renewal of Turner’s partnership with the NBA, broadening the multimedia rights agreement through the 2024-25 season.  Hong also spearheaded the integration and launch of March Madness across both television and digital platforms at Turner, as well as the evolution of the Sports Emmy Award-winning PGA Championship Live.

In 2012, Hong led the company’s acquisition of Bleacher Report and over the last five years, working closely alongside its leadership team, B/R has enjoyed tremendous growth and success to become the leading digital sports destination for millennial fans.

Prior to joining Turner, Hong was Vice President & General Manager of Interactive Media at Thomson Gale, a business of The Thomson Corporation, where he oversaw the company’s digital media and distribution businesses.

Hong had previously spent six years at AOL where he was Executive Director of Search, managing the search and sponsored links businesses across the company’s various properties including the AOL Service, AOL.com, MapQuest, Netscape and AIM.

Hong received a JD with honors from Harvard Law School and a BA in economics from NC State University, where he was the university valedictorian. He is based in Atlanta where he lives with his wife and two children.