Pete Bevacqua Promoted To Chairman Of NBC Sports Group

Pete Bevacqua, who joined NBC Sports in 2018 after stints at the PGA Tour and CAA, has been named the third NBC Sports Group chairman in the company’s history.

The news was announced Thursday by Mark Lazarus, who led the sports division before assuming his current role as chairman of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. Dick Ebersol also held the sports chairman post.

“In his time with NBC Sports, Pete has been exceptional working with our league and organizational partners, as well as in collaboration with other NBCUniversal leaders to strengthen our sports production and overall business in a challenging environment,” Lazarus said in a press release.

In June, Bevacqua spearheaded the re-acquisition of complete U.S. media rights for all United States Golf Association championships, including the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open, through 2026. Last spring, he was part of the NBCUniversal team which completed a pair of major agreements with the PGA Tour and an NFL playoff game, which will air across NBC, Telemundo and nascent streaming service Peacock.

NBCUniversal also has set a multi-year partnership with PointsBet, making it the official sports betting partner of NBC Sports, part of a wave of business activity involving gaming and sports entities. A Supreme Court ruling in 2018 opened the door for individual states to legalize sports wagering, and more than a dozen have already done so.

Bevacqua’s initial role at NBC Sports Group was president. He oversaw programming, marketing, digital, the NBC Sports Regional Networks, and all golf businesses. In February 2019, Bevacqua became head of the entire sports division.

Before arriving at NBC, Bevacqua was CEO of the PGA of America from 2012 to 2018. He also was global head of golf at CAA, Chief Business Officer for the USGA; and managing director of the U.S. Open Championship.

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