Yahoo Finance WWE Appoints DAZN And Showtime Vet Chris Legentil As Communications Chief, Reporting To President Nick Khan
Chris Legentil, a veteran of streaming service DAZN as well as Showtime and the NBA, has been named SVP and head of global communications for WWE Corp.
In steering communications strategy, he will report directly to Nick Khan, the former co-head of television at CAA who is now president and chief revenue officer at WWE. Khan will now oversee the company’s communications division.
More from Deadline
Streamer DAZN & Mogul Len Blavatnik Deny Involvement In European Super League As Fury Builds
As ViacomCBS Grabs U.S. Rights To Serie A Soccer From ESPN, Sky-DAZN Battle Heats Up In Italy
Legentil will be based at the company’s headquarters in Stamford, CT.
Khan shifted from CAA to WWE last August as founder Vince McMahon and his management team looked to position the wrestling-rooted organization as a media- and content-focused entity. Legentil’s arrival in a newly created post attests to that ongoing evolution.
Last week, Khan joined the company’s board of directors, along with former ESPN EVP of content Connor Schell and Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena CEO Steve Koonin. Before moving into sports, Koonin was a longtime senior executive at Turner Broadcasting.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic would take a toll on WWE’s live event business, the company went through a management shakeup. Co-presidents George Barrios and Michelle Wilson exited in January 2020, and longtime board member Frank A. Riddick III was named CFO.
At DAZN, the sports streamer backed by billionaire Len Blavatnik, Legentil was SVP of global communications, overseeing both consumer and corporate communications. He worked closely with John Skipper, the former ESPN president who launched DAZN in the U.S. after joining the company in 2018 and then expanded it globally.
Legentil previously worked at the National Basketball Association and Showtime Networks. He was recognized by PR Week in 2020 as one of the trade media brand’s “40 Under 40” honorees.
Best of Deadline
Coronavirus: Movies That Have Halted Or Delayed Production Amid Outbreak
Hong Kong Filmart Postponed Due To Coronavirus Fears; Event Moves Two Weeks Before Toronto
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
