FOX Sports Names Francois McGillicuddy President, Big Ten Network

LOS ANGELES – FOX Sports and the Big Ten Conference today announce they have named veteran media executive Francois McGillicuddy to the position of President, Big Ten Network (BTN). The announcement was made today by Eric Shanks, Chief Executive Officer & Executive Producer, FOX Sports and Jim Delany, Commissioner, Big Ten Conference.

McGillicuddy will assume his new role in early 2019 and take over the day-to-day operations for BTN currently held by Mark Silverman, who was elevated in January 2018 to the position of President, National Networks, FOX Sports. BTN is a joint venture between FOX Sports and the Big Ten Conference.

“Francois has been a key contributor and valued colleague at FOX Sports since 2006, so it is with great pleasure to now welcome him to the BTN family,” said Shanks. “We have a terrific team in place at the network and I am confident that Francois will be an outstanding addition given his strong leadership skills, wealth of experience in our industry and proven ability to work with FOX Sports’ partners.”

“On behalf of the Big Ten Conference, I would like to personally welcome Francois McGillicuddy to the Big Ten Network,” said Delany. “He is a dynamic and collaborative leader with an extraordinarily diverse background uniquely suited for his new role as President of the Big Ten Network. We look forward to having him on board.”

McGillicuddy, a 20-year media executive and no stranger to the FOX Sports family, currently serves as SVP & General Manager of FOX Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio. He oversees all aspects of those channels, including production, programming, advertising sales, marketing, and team relations, while also working in conjunction with FOX’s affiliate sales and marketing group on distribution matters. Prior to joining FOX Sports Ohio in January of 2013, McGillicuddy worked at FOX’s national cable channel SPEED, where he served as Vice President, Finance & Business Operations. Before joining FOX in 2006, McGillicuddy worked as an executive for Cablevision Systems Corporation as Vice President of Finance for Rainbow Sports Networks, and as Director, Strategic Planning for Madison Square Garden.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to lead the Big Ten Network, and to remain within the FOX family,” said McGillicuddy. “BTN established itself as one of the strongest networks in all of sports. I look forward to building upon that in the years ahead.”

McGillicuddy holds an MBA from Columbia University, an MFA from the University of Alabama, and a BA in Economics from Hobart College.

— FOX SPORTS —

About FOX Sports
FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing 21st Century Fox’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FOX Sports includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing relationships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; FS1, FS2; FOX Sports Regional Networks, their affiliated regional web sites and national programming; FOX Soccer Plus; FOX Deportes and FOX College Sports. FOX Sports also encompasses FOX Sports Digital, which includes FOXSports.com, FOX Sports App and FOX Sports GO. Also included in the Group are FOX’s interests in joint-venture businesses Big Ten Network and BTN 2Go, as well as a licensing agreement that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network.

About BTN
A joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and Fox Networks, BTN is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With more than 1,500 events across all platforms, the 24/7 network is the ultimate destination for Big Ten fans and alumni across the country, allowing them to see their favorite teams, regardless of where they live. BTN2Go and the Fox Sports App are the digital extensions of the Big Ten Network, delivering live games and on-demand programming to Big Ten Network customers via the web, smartphones, and tablets. Network events include football, men’s and women’s basketball games, dozens of Big Ten Olympic sports and championship events, studio shows and classic games. Original programming highlights activities and accomplishments of some of the nation’s finest universities, including the Emmy-nominated The Journey. The network is in more than 60 million homes across the United States and Canada, including carriage by all the major video distributors, such as DIRECTV, DISH, Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-Verse, Charter Communications, Comcast Xfinity, Altice USA, Cox Communications, Mediacom, RCN, WOW!, and approximately 300 additional video providers across North America. BTN is also available through the majority of OTT providers, including DirecTV Now, YouTube TV, Hulu, PlayStation Vue and fuboTV. For additional information, please visit www.btn.com.