D2C streaming technology company Kiswe has hired longtime telecom and sports executive Richard Mollard as its Director/Sports Business Development, Europe & the Middle East.
Mollard, whose sports-related experience includes stops as Managing Dir of the British Basketball League’s Plymouth Raiders and Sr Program Manager/Major Clients at Sportradar, is now tasked with leading Kiswe’s expansion efforts in those regions. He will work remotely from his home base just outside of Plymouth, England and report to Kiswe CRO Chris Pantoya.
“Having done research on the market over in Europe and the Middle East, a lot of clubs see streaming as, ‘Well, we’ve got to get the stream out to fans, we’ve got to get fans watching our games.’ They don’t necessarily understand that there’s a fan engagement element [too],” Mollard told SBJ in a recent interview. “When I start to talk to organizations in this part of the world, and I can discuss what we do with brands in the U.S., there’s going to be a lot of demand for those extra services.”
Kiswe not only supplies livestream infrastructure to sports and entertainment properties but also fan engagement tools and first-party data analysis services. Its client roster centers mostly on the U.S., highlighted by partnerships to power the streaming platforms of the NBA’s Suns and Jazz, among others.
Mollard’s role is a newly created position for the company, according to Kiswe co-founder & CMO Wim Sweldens. Kiswe conducted the search that led to his hiring in-house.
“[Mollard] is somebody who understands and can articulate [Kiswe’s technology], but also the experience that he had working with Sportradar, as well as experience running an actual team, was ideal,” Sweldens said. “He fits the profile and personality of the company.”
Eventually, Kiswe could add staff to a dedicated Europe and the Middle East team, Sweldens added, but he noted they first want to gauge the speed at which the market develops.
“Given all the momentum we’ve seen in the U.S. market around direct-to-consumer streaming, we’ve always had our eye on Europe, and when is the right time to go into that market,” Sweldens said. “We saw lots of signs that the market was ready. It’s clearly a little bit behind the U.S. market, but the same fundamental drivers are there, with more and more people cancelling cable TV subscriptions, and with the younger audience looking for more of an interactive experience.”
