Matt Hong Promoted to COO at Turner Sports

Matt Hong has been promoted to chief operating officer at Turner Sports, a new position.

Hong had been executive VP and general manager of Turner Sports, overseeing strategy, rights acquisitions, marketing and digital. In his new role, he will also add responsibility for programing Turner’s sports assets across TNT, TBS and truTV, and he will set the strategic direction and lead day-to-day operations of NBA TV and the digital properties Turner co-manages with the NBA.

“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 Turner Sports president Lenny Daniels. “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.”

Hong continues to report to Daniels.

Following the promotion, Albert Vertino, senior VP of programming at Turner Sports and general manager of NBA Digital, will report to Hong.

Also reporting to Hong are Dave Finocchio, CEO of Bleacher Report; Val Immele, senior VP of business for Turner Sports, and Mark Johnson, senior VP of digital for Turner Sports.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.