Peter Nelson completed a meteoric rise through the HBO Sports department on Tuesday when he was named its executive vice president, landing the department’s top spot.
He will not have the title of president, but replaces Ken Hershman, who resigned in October, in leading HBO Sports.
Nelson, who joined HBO Sports in August 2011 as director of programming, will oversee the network’s boxing franchise as one of his key responsibilities. He had been serving as vice president of programming for HBO Sports. The Harvard graduate and one-time sportswriter takes on his new responsibilities immediately.
Nelson’s appointment was no surprise, as he was personally hired by Michael Lombardo, the president of HBO programming, and has remained close with Lombardo.
It also completes a dramatic overhaul in the department. In addition to Hershman’s resignation, Mark Taffet resigned last week. No other hires are expected at this time. Nelson’s leadership team at HBO includes Tammy Ross, the longtime vice president of HBO Pay-Per-View; and Jonathan Gaist and Peter Mozarsky, both senior vice presidents of business affairs.
?Peter Nelson is the ideal choice to spearhead our groundbreaking programming initiatives as well as our commitment to world class boxing, which have made HBO Sports an acclaimed franchise for the network,? Lombardo said. ?He has a comprehensive understanding of boxing, a key programming staple for our subscribers for more than four decades. We enjoyed a terrific 2015 season and can?t wait to present the best collection of fighters in the world on our platforms in the new year.?
Yahoo Sports has reached out to Nelson for comment on his promotion and will update this story if and when it speaks to him.
