Broadcaster Sinclair has tapped media and tech executive Jeff Blackburn chairman and chief executive Officer of Tennis Channel, leading the network’s strategic and expansion across digital, streaming and global platforms.
He replaces longtime Tennis Channel CEO Ken Solomon. who exited last fall.
Blackburn was most recently SVP of Global Media and Entertainment at Amazon, where he worked for 24 years, becoming the prime architect of the company’s expansion into streaming and sports. He was instrumental in building Prime Video, Amazon Studios, Amazon Music and Amazon’s advertising and marketplace divisions.
Prior to that he worked in Operations, Retail and Corporate and Business Development at Amazon. Blackburn began his career as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank, where he oversaw Amazon’s IPO in 1997.
“Jeff’s appointment marks a pivotal step in our strategy to accelerate Tennis Channel’s growth and unlock long-term value across Sinclair’s portfolio,” said Sinclair CEO Chris Ripley. “With a track record of driving innovation and scaling multibillion-dollar media businesses, Jeff brings the strategic vision and operational expertise to expand our digital footprint, deepen audience engagement, and capitalize on global sports and streaming trends. His leadership will be instrumental as we continue to grow Tennis Channel’s distribution and expand its direct-to-consumer offering, further establishing Tennis Channel asa global, always-on destination for fans across every screen and platform.”
During his tenure at Amazon, Blackburn led high-profile initiatives such as the launch of Thursday Night Football on Prime which won the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Interactive Broadcast in its debut year, and the development and launch of break-through TV series that won multiple Emmys including Transparent, Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Fleabag, and The Boys. He also played a pivotal role in Amazon’s acquisition and full integration of MGM to create Amazon MGM Studios.
He currently sits on the Board of Directors of Roku, DoorDash, and UTR Sports.
“Tennis Channel is a sports treasure,” said Blackburn. “It’s beloved by fans of the game, allowing for large growth opportunities ahead in streaming as well as new initiatives like Pickleball. Since childhood I’ve been intensely passionate about tennis, so I’m thrilled to take on the role and join this outstanding team.”
Tennis Channel and sibling network TennisChannel 2 are the exclusive U.S. homes of all men’s ATP World Tour and women’s WTA Tour competitions, Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, United Cup, and Laver Cup. The network’s app and website house a direct-to-consumer streaming service with the traditional television network and 10,000 hours of live and on-demand matches as well as original content. Tennis Channel International brings live competition and network content to markets in Europe and Asia via digital subscription and free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels.
Additional platform www.tennis.com is the largest digital outlet dedicated to the sport. Tennis Channel is also a co-owner of Pickleballtv, a joint venture with the Professional Pickleball Association.
