Turner Sports has promoted William Funk to senior vice president of sports sponsorships and sales.
In his new post, Funk, who was serving as vice president of sports sponsorships and sales, is charged with helping to expand the portfolio of sales partners and marketing platforms across all Turner Sports programming on TNT and TBS. Additionally, Funk will manage the integration of online and TV aspects of the networks’ sports holdings, including the National Basketball Association, NASCAR, Major League Baseball and professional golf, plus the digital assets of NASCAR.com, PGATour.com and PGA.com.
Funk’s role also includes working with TNT and TBS marketing, programming and production, as well as the leagues, to create media partnerships with advertisers and develop branded content for distribution across the networks’ linear and digital properties. He will also serve as a liaison to Time Warner divisions to develop marketing opportunities with TV, film, print and online outlets within the corporation.
Funk was instrumental in creating the first ever NASCAR telecast, TNT’s Wide Open Coverage for the Pepsi 400, that featured limited commercial breaks and 20 minutes of additional content that helped generate more than $55 million in ad exposure, more than twice the average for the network’s other five NASCAR events.
Additionally, during MLB’s inaugural postseason on TBS, Funk developed integrated advertising partnerships across the network and broadband channel, TBS Hot Corner on MLB.com.
“We are extremely fortunate to have Will leading the way to provide our many partners with valuable opportunities across Turner Sports’ linear and digital platforms,” said Turner Sports Sales executive vice president Trish Frohman, to whom Funk reports, in a statement. “Will’s leadership and innovation have helped Turner Sports differentiate itself within the marketplace and we anticipate him continuing to lead the charge with his new responsibilities.”
