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NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Arena Group (NYSE American: AREN) (the “Company” or “The Arena Group”) today announced the appointment of Chris Pirrone as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Sports. Pirrone brings over two decades of digital media experience to the newly created position at the company.
As General Manager of Sports, Pirrone will oversee the growth of Arena Group’s portfolio of sports sites, known as Sports Illustrated Media Group and anchored by Sports Illustrated. Sports Illustrated Media Group has become the fifth-largest sports media company according to Comscore April 2022 rankings, with traffic more than doubling year over year. Arena Group’s sports division, which includes sports brands like FanNation, Morning Read and Athlon Sports, delivered 253% more page views and 265% more social media page views in the first quarter of 2022, according to Google Analytics.
At USA TODAY Sports Media Group, Pirrone launched over 75 vertical sports sites and, as General Manager, led a significant expansion of the publisher’s digital advertising business across digital, social and mobile. He also grew the audience from 10 million to 60 million monthly Comscore unique viewers and grew revenue to over $100 million annually.
“Chris Pirrone is a welcome addition with a phenomenal track record at USA Today Sports Media, including six-fold audience growth, continued revenue innovation and the growth of dozens of successful sports properties such as For The Win and Golfweek,” said Rob Barrett, president of media for the arena Group. “We are thrilled to have Chris leading the next wave of innovation at Sports Illustrated and The Arena Group’s sports vertical.”
Pirrone will start in June and will report to Barrett. Previously, he held positions as General Manager of the Traffic Marketplace advertising network and General Counsel at Traffic Marketplace and ValueClick Inc. Pirrone holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from St. Lawrence University and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Akron School of Law.
About the Arena Group
Arena Group creates solid digital destinations that delight consumers with powerful journalism and news about the things they love – their favorite sports teams, investment advice, insider info on personal finance and the latest lifestyle essentials. With powerful technology, editorial expertise, data management and marketing expertise, the transformative company enables brands like Sports Illustrated, TheStreet and Parade to deliver highly relevant content and experiences that consumers love. To learn more, visit www.thearenagroup.net.