Bio
Mark Silverman serves as President and COO of FOX Sports. In this role, Silverman oversees all aspects of live event and studio programming, production, marketing and digital for FOX, FS1 and FS2, driving the strategic direction that positions FOX Sports as a premier sports network. He joined the company in 2018 as President, National Networks and was promoted in January of 2022.
Under his leadership, FOX Sports has invested in sports betting, expanded its digital presence, and revamped its college football strategy. FOX Bet is the first and only sports wagering operator in the United States fully integrated with a leading media company, offering users an exciting way to combine their passion for the live events on FOX Sports with FOX Bet’s robust and differentiated product suite, which includes the FOX Bet Sportsbook app and market leading free-to-play game FOX Bet Super 6. Following FOX’s expanded agreement with NYRA, the network is uniquely positioned as the only media company holding strategic stakes in digital bet-taking businesses of horse racing, sports betting, poker and casino gaming.
Silverman played an important role in FOX Sports’ widely successful rollout of BIG NOON KICKOFF and the BIG NOON SATURDAY game of the week, which led to the network’s most-watched college football season ever in 2019.
Under Silverman’s purview, FOX Sports has cemented itself as a fully multi-platform company, investing heavily in its digital capabilities and media rights. As part of its recent renewal agreement with the NFL, FOX broadened and enhanced its digital rights package, providing flexibility and optionality for the future. In 2020 FOX Sports launched its redesigned app and website, which offer robust cross-platform storytelling through video, editorial, statistics, live streaming and options for sports betting in legal states.
Silverman has been recognized for his stewardship and innovation in the sports industry many times over. He was presented with the Cynopsis Sports 2020 Navigator Award, given annually to the individual who has presented new opportunities and challenges to keep audiences engaged and entertained in the constantly involving sports media landscape.
Before joining FOX Sports, the 29-year media executive served as President of BTN, a joint venture between FOX Sports and the Big Ten Conference. Silverman oversaw all aspects of the network since its inception in 2007 until 2018, setting the strategic direction and leading day-to-day operations for the first internationally distributed conference-owned college television network. The network’s first president, Silverman guided the network to profitability within two years of launch and helped the network achieve its distribution goals of over 60 million subscribers throughout the United States and Canada.
With Silverman at the helm, BTN extended its portfolio beyond the linear network with digital media offerings including BTN Plus. BTN received numerous awards during Silverman’s tenure, including two Emmy nominations for “The Journey: Big Ten Basketball” and an Edward R. Murrow Award in the category of video sports reporting.
Silverman began his media career at The Walt Disney Company, where he held several executive positions during his 13-year tenure, principally in the television and movie studio divisions. Prior to joining BTN, Silverman served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the ABC Cable Networks Group as well as Senior Vice President and General Manager, ABC Family Channel, where he was responsible for channel operations and the development of its business strategy.
Silverman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan. He and his family reside in Los Angeles.