Key Account Management Lead

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. Built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in 60 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2023-24 season featured a record 125 international players from 40 countries and territories. NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than 2.3 billion likes and followers globally across all leagues, team and player platforms. NBA Cares, the NBA’s global social responsibility platform, partners with renowned community-based organizations around the world to address important social issues in the areas of education, inclusion, youth and family development, and health and wellness.

Position Summary

This Key Account Management Lead will partner closely with key partner platform (Disney and

Amazon) to promote and lead the monetization to NBA broadcasting business in support of GCMD’s strategic goals of maximizing IP Value and multiply commercial assets.

This individual will help craft the regional distribution strategy for both Disney and Amazon to maximize revenue and reach. This individual will identify and develop relationships with partner platforms and will identify, develop, and close all of the NBA’s distribution deals in region and help set, meet, and ideally exceed the market revenue target. This individual will work with the Global Content and Media Distribution’s program distribution, digital and direct-to-consumer and programming and production teams across Asia and the US to ensure that content is delivered and distributed efficiently and smoothy. This individual will also be responsible for key account management and working with Partner Marketing for best-in-class partner support.

This position requires an entrepreneurial, ambitious, and versatile media distribution executive who will play a key role in executing on the NBA’s robust distribution strategy to drive new business and renewal negotiations for the NBA’s live game and ancillary programming and the NBA’s direct-to-consumer service, League Pass.

Major Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation of cooperative projects on the development of Disney and Amazon’s NBA program implementation and provide technical assistance to client stakeholders through the introduction of international experience and the assessment of their possible implementation to region.
• Achieve and where possible exceed Global Content and Media Distribution’s regional revenue targets
• Plan and manage new projects’ life-cycle with the client, including conception, development, execution and broadcast.
• Provide insight and support to institutional campaigns. Work with internal and external stakeholders to ensure effective and efficient execution of projects.
• Understand marketplace trends past and present, impactful technologies and competitive forces, and assess their impact on NBA’s business.
• Support subscriber, ratings, social and fan growth together with Digital and Marketing teams
• Collaborate with NBA New York headquarters to develop market growth strategies and new partnership models and find new ways to monetize content and customers
• Conduct financial analyses and develop proposals towards negotiation of media contracts
• Stay up to date with digital, marketing, entertainment, social media trends, strategies and players.
• Prepare market overview, strategic business objectives and revenue projections
• Maintain market intelligence on media trends and sports rights globally
• Optimize the sales and account management process and procedures together with legal, finance, marketing, and other departments

Required Skills/Knowledge

• Proven track record in monetizing content through licensing negotiations and forming strategic partnerships
• Able to manage multiple projects, set timelines and meet deadlines in a fast-paced and challenging work environment.
• Knowledge and understanding of digital media, entertainment, gaming, and technology landscape, specifically in media partner platforms, Disney and Amazon)
• Strong negotiation and relationship skills
• Ability to gather and analyze data from a variety of sources, draw conclusions and act on findings
• Sharp analytical ability using data to make precise decisions
• Strong presentation skills, including constructing superior presentations and leading discussions that will result in the best strategic approach possible
• Ability to work with multiple stakeholders in a fast-paced, heavily matrixed organization
• A believer in collaboration, value-creation for customers and guiding the NBA through a period of profound technological and consumption transformation
• Strong knowledge of the NBA (its players, teams and history), basketball and sports is a Plus.

Experience Needed

• 15+ years of work experience in the television and/or digital media industry
• Prior exposure to strategy and/or consulting a plus
• Proven track record in sales & distribution
• Ability to work with commercial agreements and a deep understanding of contracts, particularly licensing arrangements
• Understanding of digital media space and evolving trends
• Strong contacts in the region and international media and technology communities
• Proven ability to think strategically and analytically
• Strong understanding of financial analysis and capability of modeling
• Ability to create and make strategic and deal related presentations to management
• Knowledge and experience working with the mobile space including content distribution and social media
• Willingness to travel
• Fluent in English