Updated 1:20 p.m. ET
Steve Bornstein will step down as president and CEO of the
NFL Network when his contract expires next spring, the league confirmed Wednesday.
First reported by the New York Times, he will be succeeded by NFL Media COO Brian Rolapp, who will assume the title of executive VP of NFL Media.
"One can't underestimate Steve's well-documented impact on the sports media landscape, first with ESPN and then with the NFL. I have learned a great deal from his leadership these past 10 years," said Rolapp. "It's no secret the media business is undergoing significant change, fueled by rapid developments in technology and customer demand. The NFL is well positioned to take advantage of these changes and I look forward to helping the NFL innovate and serve our fans in the best possible way."
Joining the NFL in 2002, Bornstein was the architect of the
league-owned channel, which became the second network to be owned and operated
by a professional sports league. NBA TV started in 1999 as an online-only
channel, before launching as a linear TV network in 2003, a few months before
NFL Net. The network will celebrate its tenth anniversary in November.
Bornstein was primarily responsible for securing carriage
agreements for the station, which up until last year did not include major MSOs
Cablevision and Time Warner Cable. He was also instrumental in getting live
games on the channel beginning in 2006 with eight games before expanding to 13
last season.
The NYT report stated that Bornstein has not planned what he
will do next, but NFL commissioner Roger Goodell intimated that it could be on
the technology side.
The
Big Lead had reported back in June that Bornstein was on his way out, though
the league denied it at the time.
