Anthem Sports and Entertainment-owned media company AXS TV has hired former Nexstar Media sales executive Brian Doherty into a similar role at the firm.
Doherty will serve as the President of Advertising Sales at AXS TV and co-owned film network HDNet Movies, the company said in a news release on Tuesday. Doherty previously worked as the Executive Vice President of Multiplatform Advertising Sales, overseeing revenue-generating initiatives for national brands like the CW Network, NewsNation and The Hill.
AXS TV is hoping Doherty will make some of that same magic happen for its two channels, which are distributed on some regional cable systems and nationally on a handful of streaming platforms like Philo, Sling TV and DirecTV Stream.
Doherty will report to Andy Schuon, the President of AXS TV and HDNet Movies, who called the executive “one of the most-respected names in the business, armed with unprecedented success in sports and entertainment.”
“He is joining our team at an exciting time, as HDNet Movies is experiencing unprecedented growth, becoming the fastest-growing network on television, and AXS TV is rapidly evolving into a global multi-platform music brand,” Schuon said in a statement. “I have no doubt that Brian, and the rest of our already strong ad sales team, will position us to maximize our growth.”
Doherty’s hiring comes at a time when AXS TV has invested heavily in building up its advertising sales business. Last year, the company hired Deborah Cuffaro to serve as its Senior Vice President of Advertising Sales, and tasked her with forming a new team to carry out the media venture’s revenue initiatives. Rather than working alongside Doherty, AXS TV says Doherty will serve as Cuffaro’s direct supervisor; she previously reported to Anthony Cicione, the President of Entertainment at Anthem.
“There are so many incredible avenues for multi-platform revenue, business, and sales opportunities here, fueled by a rich content library boasting the absolute best in music and film-themed programming,” Doherty said on Tuesday. “I look forward to getting started with AXS TV and HDNet Movies’ fantastic team to maximize their monetization potential.”
