Since 2018 he’s led ESPN’s expansion of NBA, ultimate fighting and gambling content. The network also introduced its ESPN+ digital streaming service, which offers live sports and other original content. That streaming service had 17.1 million subscribers as of Oct. 2, 2021, ESPN said.
Pitaro made a big splash last March when ESPN announced it signed a seven-year deal with the NHL to bring professional hockey back to the network for the first time since 2004. The deal included airing more than 1,000 games per season on ESPN+, a nod to the significant role the network sees streaming playing in the future.
ESPN also had rights to the NFL’s first-ever Monday Night Football playoff game that aired this past January.
In December 2020, ESPN also reached a 10-year deal with the Southeastern Conference (SEC) to take over the rights from CBS to air the conference’s 15 spotlight college football games starting in 2024.
Pitaro originally joined The Walt Disney Co. in 2010 as co-president of Disney Interactive, where he led the turnaround of the digital media and gaming division, according to his bio.
Before that, he worked at Yahoo, where he rose to the head of media. The Westchester, New York native has a law degree from St. John’s Law School.