Universal Sports Network Hires VP of BizDev

Bart Leivo joins Universal Sports Network as vice president of business development. He had been director of business operations at Yahoo. His Linked In profile is already updated with the news.

“Bart is a dynamic and creative executive whose vision makes for a good fit with our growing network,” Perkins Miller, chief operating officer of Universal Sports, said in a statement. “He has a keen analytical mind and has a great track record in sports business. His experience will be valuable to Universal Sports as we expand our business opportunities and partnerships.”

Leivo, who helped Yahoo partner with Major League Baseball, Rivals.com, UFC and Ticketmaster during his time there, will be tasked with building out USN’s business plan. The channel is growing rapidly. In an interview published on Monday, Dick Ebersol spoke about the growth.

“I’m happy to say that in a little less than two years, he’s taken them from 3 million homes to some 55 million or 57 million homes, much of it on digital channels broadcast by NBC-owned stations and affiliates. To go from 3 million to 57 million homes has certainly increased its exposure, and their unique association with so many key national and world championships has made them more of a choice for sports fans everywhere than they were before we got involved.”

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