John Lasker, one of the architects of ESPN’s direct-to-consumer strategy, will be retiring from the company after 27 years. Lasker, who serves as SVP/ESPN DTC, will remain at ESPN through the end of September. The decision to retire was his own. ESPN VP/Sports Products & Strategy Brian Marshall will oversee the DTC team on an interim basis once Lasker departs.
Lasker played a big role in the launch of ESPN DTC last August, and talked about the launch with SBJ last summer. He described the effort as a “long, slow build” dating back to the launch of ESPN Broadband in 2001. Rosalyn Durant, ESPN’s EVP/Programming & Acquisitions, wrote in a memo to staff on Wednesday that Lasker was “at the forefront of nearly every major iteration and evolution of our streaming business.” That included development from ESPN360 to ESPN3 to WatchESPN to ESPN+ to the current iteration.
Lasker has been public about medical issues related to blot clots and his diagnosis of Factor V Leiden, a genetic blood clotting disorder.
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