The E. W. Scripps Company has hired a leading executive from sports brand Overtime to serve as its new Vice President of Network Sports and Client Partnerships.
Starting this week, Oliver Gray will be responsible for facilitating relationships with national advertisers for Scripps Sports, the broadcaster’s sports division, and will work closely with network sales and programming teams to develop integrated brand partnership opportunities that “deepen client relationships and drive revenue,” the company said on Wednesday.
Gray reports to Brian Norris, the Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer of Scripps, and will remain based in New York City.
“Oliver brings a strong track record of driving revenue growth across television and digital, with deep expertise across sports and streaming,” Norris said on Thursday. “His vision for translating fandom into meaningful business results will help advertisers tap into Scripps’ premium sports and entertainment portfolio in powerful new ways.”
Gray has more than a decade of experience in sports sponsorship and national media advertising sales, Scripps noted. At Overtime, he helped set and exceed revenue goals by securing sponsorships from brands like Hershey, Delta, DraftKings, Coca-Cola and Dunkin Donuts, among others.
Overtime primarily targets younger sports fans through social media content; the media company also has a free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel, which aligns with Scripps’ own FAST sports offerings available on Ion Television.
Before working at Overtime, Gray helped Amazon evolve brand sponsorship opportunities for its “Thursday Night Football” franchise. He also held similar roles at Warner Bros Discovery’s CNN and Viacom’s TV Guide Network (now Paramount-owned Pop TV).
Scripps Sports offers national programming from the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and Athlos, with regional rights to National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL) games in some markets.
