Industry Veteran John Kosner Says There Are Reasons To Be Positive in the Rapidly Changing RSN Industry

How can those working at RSNs weather the storm and thrive in today’s uncertain environment?

It has been a challenging year for the regional-sports-network-industry. As multiple RSN groups face financial difficulties due to the rapidly changing economics of the business, the industry finds itself at a turning point.

With so much out of their control, how can behind-the-scenes talent at these networks weather the storm and even grow the power and influence of their media properties? In a presentation from the 2023 SVG Regional Sports Production Summit, leading industry consultant John Kosner offers up advice and paints a positive forecast for a segment of the industry seemingly on the brink.

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Kosner is an internet pioneer and four-decade veteran of sports media. Today, he is an investor and advisor in sports tech startups and president of Kosner Media, a digital media and sports consultancy. In 2018, Kosner and the late NBA Commissioner Emeritus David Stern created Micromanagement Ventures, a portfolio of sports technology start-ups focused on media, betting, and player health. Kosner continues to serve as an advisor to and an investor in nine of the original Micromanagement Ventures portfolio companies which include WHOOP, WSC Sports, and Overtime.

In addition, Kosner is an advisor to Apple News, MLS, the Big East, the PRCA, Opendorse, SponsorUnited, Videocites, and NFT.NYC, among others. He was a board member at 8th Wall which was acquired by Niantic on March 11, 2022. Niantic and his former NBA colleague Ed Desser devise sports media strategies and negotiate media agreements for rightsholders and write periodic columns for the Sports Business Journal. In addition, Niantic writes articles about sports and video games with his colleague J Moses, a board member at Take-Two Interactive. He also does expert witness work, currently for Proskauer Rose LLP and recently for Latham & Watkins LLP and Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP.

Previously, Kosner led digital media at ESPN from 2003 – 2017, after stints at Sports Illustrated; the NBA – where he was in charge of U.S. broadcasting during the Dream Team era; CBS Sports; and NBC Sports. In his 21 years at the company, Kosner built ESPN into the world’s leading digital sports destination – a powerhouse in short- and long-form editorial content, streaming, social media, podcasting, fantasy sports, and direct-to-consumer. He increased traffic ten-fold and turned an unprofitable business into ESPN’s fastest growing. At ESPN, Kosner was part of a small, senior group that managed the program acquisition, scheduling, and linear and digital distribution of all ESPN professional and collegiate sports properties.

This presentation was hosted at the 2023 SVG Regional Sports Production Summit in Chicago on June 29, 2023.

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