Former Fox Sports, ESPN executive Horowitz hired by DAZN

Published May. 3, 2019 3:03 p.m. ET

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jamie Horowitz has been hired by DAZN as its executive vice president for content in North America.

The announcement was made by DAZN executive chairman John Skipper in an email to staff Friday.

The sports streaming service is available in nine countries and is the leading sports service in Japan, where it airs NFL, MLB and the UEFA Champions League.

It is just making inroads in the United States with its primary early focus on boxing and MMA. It will air the middleweight title fight Saturday between Canelo Alvarez and Daniel Jacobs.

Horowitz has been a consultant for DAZN since November. Skipper said in the email that Horowitz will oversee all content for North America, including live production, original programming and social content.

Horowitz helped DAZN sign a deal with MLB to air a nightly show called "ChangeUp," which allows DAZN to show live look-ins on games.

He also helped develop a series called "40 Days" which documents the eight weeks leading up to a title fight. The first season, which is produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, followed Alvarez and Jacobs.

Horowitz's last executive position was at Fox Sports, where he oversaw programming and digital operations. He was fired in July 2017 during an internal investigation of sexual harassment claims.

Before joining Fox, Horowitz had a brief tenure with NBC's "Today."

Horowitz and Skipper worked together at ESPN from 2006 to 2014. Skipper left as ESPN's president in December 2017 , saying he was going to seek treatment for a substance abuse problem. He later revealed that he resigned amid an extortion plot by someone who sold him cocaine. Skipper said he used drugs recreationally and that it never impacted his work.