As its business throughout the ANZ region continues to grow, ESPN has announced the addition of Rita Steel as NZ sales manager to the newly aligned Disney ESPN media sales & partnerships team.
Steel will be based in Disney ESPN’s offices in Auckland and will report to Nik Weber, the Sydney-based head of sales Disney ESPN.
Steel brings over 13 years’ of experience managing global brands, having managed Viacom’s portfolio and more recently was part of the foundation team that launched Pandora internet radio.
Weber says Steel has built a reputation for delivering innovative and effective solutions for agencies and their brands. Highlights include a CAANZ Media Awards finalist and a Gold.
Steel specialises in integrated and branded content solutions and looks forward to bringing brands and audiences together in her new role at Disney ESPN media sales & partnerships.
“I am excited to unlock these fantastic brands to advertisers here in New Zealand,” she says. “There are so many opportunities to leverage this premium global content through local partnerships and connect with audiences through the creation of branded content.”
Nik Weber said: “I’m thrilled to have someone of Rita’s calibre leading our media sales & partnerships team in Auckland. With well-established audiences across our television and digital networks, having a key point of contact on the ground to provide meaningful insights will allow our partners to maximise the effectiveness of their advertising.”
About ESPN APAC
In the APAC region, ESPN operates a diverse business that includes a broad portfolio of leading online and mobile brands and services and a leading television business in Australia and New Zealand. Throughout the region, ESPN is a growing leader in digital media, with local editions of ESPN.com and the ESPN App, ESPNFC.com and ESPNcricinfo website and app leading its portfolio of brands. Fans in the region log hundreds of millions of visits and billions of minutes via computers and mobile devices each month.
Who owns ESPN?
ESPN is 80% owned by ABC Inc, which is an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The Hearst Corporation holds a 20% percent interest in ESPN.
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