Wendy McMahon ran 27 television stations, more than 20 streaming channels, and over $3 billion in revenue at CBS News and Stations. If she walked back into a legacy media company tomorrow, her first request would be to break free of broadcast infrastructure.

Wendy, a senior media advisor and former President and CEO of CBS News and Stations, joins Dave to reflect on how her mindset shaped her transition from local television to digital, her work transforming legacy media businesses, and the decision to step away from institutional media to immerse herself in creators, emerging technology, local journalism, and new business models.

Wendy also explores why sports occupies a unique position in an increasingly fragmented media environment, what we can learn from independent creators and emerging platforms, and why she thinks resilience is overrated.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why Wendy believes YouTube is “eating everyone’s lunch”
• How billions of data points from school boards, zoning meetings, and city councils could help rebuild local journalism
• Why Wendy spent 90% of her time on the part of CBS News and Stations that made the least money
• What unexpectedly pulled Wendy toward the “messiness” of college and emerging sports

Resources and Links:

Connect with Wendy McMahon on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

Dave’s book is available now! Get your copy of The Business of Sports Technology: How To Make Smart Decisions That Drive Your Organization Forward.

A sports customer once asked Julie Souza and AWS to build a virtual locker room in the metaverse. Instead of taking the order, she asked why.

Julie, whose career has spanned CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Second Spectrum, and AWS, joins Next League’s COO Becki Wronko Civello to explain why she keeps coming back to the same three questions before any technology decision: Who is this for? What problem are we solving? And what outcome should it actually drive?

Julie also shares where she sees untapped opportunity in sports, why she’s cautious about how the industry adopts AI, and what eight years in local government, the last two as deputy mayor, taught her about showing up and speaking plainly.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How NFL injury data led to the hip-drop tackle ban and the kickoff rule change
• Why Julie says women’s sports never had a product problem, and why distribution deals could unlock the next stage
• The real reason Julie is “drawn to the flames” of college sports, even when others tell her to run
• Why handing entry-level work to AI could cause problems later

Resources and Links:

Connect with Julie Souza on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

Dave’s book is available now! Get your copy of The Business of Sports Technology: How To Make Smart Decisions That Drive Your Organization Forward.

Football across North America, Central America, and the Caribbean is entering a rare moment of opportunity with a World Cup on home soil, growing domestic leagues, emerging national teams, and increasing global attention.

Heidi Pellerano, Chief Commercial Officer at Concacaf, joins Dave to explain what it means to commercialize a confederation made up of 41 member associations operating in dramatically different markets. She shares how Concacaf thinks about creating value across media, sponsorship, ticketing, licensing, and content while ensuring that commercial success ultimately helps strengthen the football itself.

Heidi also reflects on what this World Cup moment could mean for the next generation of fans and players across the region, and what her unconventional path from engineering and defense consulting into sports has taught her about solving complex problems.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why Concacaf eliminated certain renewal and matching rights so it could take its media inventory back to the open market
• Why Netflix became the right home for Gold Cup and Nations League in Mexico
• How Concacaf reorganized its rights into three distinct ecosystems
• What happens when you’re trying to create commercial value in markets as different as the U.S. and Bermuda

Resources and Links:

Connect with Heidi Pellerano on LinkedIn and learn more about Concacaf on their website.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.

Dave’s book is available now! Get your copy of The Business of Sports Technology: How To Make Smart Decisions That Drive Your Organization Forward.