THE INDUSTRY'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS ARE BACK
The OTT awards recognise and celebrate the pioneers of the sports broadcasting scene, ranging from major rights holders and broadcasters to emerging technology companies empowering the industry.
The awards focus on collaboration, innovation and creativity, and represent the highest standard of accolade within the industry for our shortlistees and winners. We’ll be announcing the 2024 categories, pricing, and judges in the lead up to entries opening in just a few weeks time.
Key Dates for 2024
Entries Open
13 May
2024
Early Bird Pricing Cut Off
31 May
2024
Entries Close
14 Jun
2024
2024 Judges
To ensure a fair, impartial and independent process, SportsPro recruits an expert judging panel, balancing senior OTT stakeholders from international rights holders, broadcasters and technology leaders. Previous judges have included experts from Turner Sports, Microsoft, BT Sport, European Tour, FIFA and many more.
This independent panel offer an unrivalled pool of expertise and knowledge to ensure judging criteria is met by only the most rigorous of standards, and ensure the OTT awards represent the highest standard of accolade within the industry.
2024 judges will be announced soon. Meet the 2023 judges below:
Andreas Heyden
CEO
Melissa Lawton
Chief Content Officer
Melissa Lawton is responsible for Live Sports Production Strategy at Facebook. She’s charged with helping Facebook’s partners redefine the live sports viewing experience to foster deeper and more meaningful connections between fans and the broadcasters, teams, leagues and athletes they follow. In this role, Melissa will design production strategies that inspire partners to fully leverage the interactive and social potential of video on Facebook. She’ll also work closely with the Facebook product team to develop the tools partners need to deliver sports broadcasts for the next generation of fans.
Melissa joined Facebook after five years as the Head of Live Content at Red Bull Media House, working specifically on the creation and expansion of Red Bull’s media network, Red Bull TV. In this capacity, she oversaw a global production team that produced premium, live third-party sports, music and culture events and many ‘beyond the ordinary’ Red Bull competitions across the globe.
Bhavesh Patel
Global Digital Director
Bhavesh Patel is currently the Chief Digital Officer at beIN Media Group based in Paris. He is working on building their next generation global OTT platform and driving innovation across the group. Prior, Bhavesh was an OTT strategy advisor for CBS Studios International and Verizon Go90, headed up Betfair’s US horserace wagering business, and led the launch of FOX Soccer 2 Go and NBA International League Pass.
Kim McConnie
Marketing Director
Kim joined the Foxtel Group in 2019 after spending two seasons at Cricket Australia as Head of Big Bash Leagues (BBL), which included delivering the first ever standalone Women’s BBL final with a sold-out crowd. Prior to this, she spent 15 years with PepsiCo, most recently as Head of Sports Marketing based at their global HQ in New York, leading initiatives such as the Pepsi Superbowl Halftime Show. Kim was appointed Marketing Director of Kayo Sports in October 2020, leading brand management and go to market strategy for Australia’s leading sports streaming business.
Tom Middleditch
SVP of Product
Tom has worked in the sports broadcast industry for over 18 years and is currently SVP of Product at DAZN. Before moving to DAZN, Tom was Global Head of Digital at Eleven Sports where he was responsible for the strategy and development of the OTT product globally. He oversaw launches in new markets and drove platform innovations like the Sports Pro OTT award-winning Watch Together tool. Tom was also previously Head of Video at Sky Sports.
Minal Modha
Research Director
Malgorzata Borkowska
Media Rights Consultant
Barney Francis
Executive Vice President, Global Productions
Barney Francis joined IMG as Executive Vice President, Head of Global Production, in November 2021. He oversees the production of thousands of hours of content on behalf of more than 200 federations, associations and events to help them reach new and existing fans in creative and compelling ways. Widely-respected as one of the leading sports executives in the world, Francis was largely responsible for establishing Sky Sports as the leading UK sport broadcaster during his 20-year spell with the organization. As Managing Director, he grew the channel offering from 5 channels to 11, adding premium sports such as Formula 1, the Masters, The Open and NBA to the portfolio while also increasing the number of Premier League matches shown on Sky. He also oversaw continued technological innovation with developments in 3D, Ultra HD, virtual reality and the continued growth of Sky Sports’ digital, social and online presence. Prior to his role as Managing Director, Francis was Sky Sports’ Executive Producer for Football and Cricket, producing a range of live coverage, support programming and sport news content. His production credits include the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, the ICC Cricket World Cup and Test cricket.
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