Peter Steckelman: How to Lead Cross-Functional Teams in Sports and Media Enterprises
In the sports media industry, tight coordination across various functions is essential to deliver real-time access to competitions for audiences and sponsors. This involves aligning ticketing, marketing, partnerships, production, and legal operations.…
In the sports media industry, tight coordination across various functions is essential to deliver real-time access to competitions for audiences and sponsors. This involves aligning ticketing, marketing, partnerships, production, and legal operations. Peter Steckelman, Senior Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at Tennis Channel, highlights the importance of aligning missions and priorities across the business. At Tennis Channel, a 24-hour multimedia network dedicated to professional tennis, Steckelman oversees media rights agreements, sponsorships, licensing deals, production matters, and enterprise risk management in both domestic and international markets.
Steckelman emphasizes the need for regular meetings to reiterate and remind teams of business objectives. These meetings can be weekly, monthly, or event-driven depending on organizational needs. They serve to clarify priorities and ensure alignment whether the team functions as a media rights holder, production arm, or commercial partner.
Live sports present unique challenges, as there is no opportunity to pause and resolve disagreements during events. For instance, coverage of a Grand Slam final requires immediate adjustments if a match extends into a fifth set or is delayed due to weather. Teams across programming, production, social media, advertising, and legal must act swiftly to ensure uninterrupted access for audiences and visibility for advertisers. This real-time agility is crucial, as the schedule on paper often adapts to the dynamics of the competition.
Disagreements across commercial, creative, and operational teams are common, but they must not lead to gridlock. Effective leadership in these situations requires decisiveness and collaboration. Teams are encouraged to express their views on the value of various genres, events, or rights packages. Once a strategic direction is established, the organization must proceed consistently to maintain momentum and avoid content pipeline disruptions.
This involves aligning ticketing, marketing, partnerships, production, and legal operations.
Trust is a key component in fostering alignment, and Steckelman advocates for involving all departments as partners in strategic discussions. This approach transforms meetings into collaborative strategy sessions rather than transactional updates. When stakeholders contribute to planning, they take ownership of outcomes, facilitating proactive problem-solving and adaptation to unforeseen challenges.
With the proliferation of digital platforms, Steckelman supports expanding the reach of sports content across cable, direct-to-consumer channels, fast channels, and social media. Comprehensive storytelling enhances fan loyalty by covering not only matches but also practice sessions, recovery, and off-court moments. This engagement strengthens the emotional connection between fans and athletes, boosting media rights valuations and advertising revenue.
For effective cross-functional leadership in sports and media, it is essential to align around purpose, act decisively, and foster a collaborative culture that keeps pace with the competition.
For further insights, follow Peter Steckelman on LinkedIn .
Based on reporting by TechBullion.