Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE) announced on Thursday that Kevin Demoff, the president of the Los Angeles Rams, has been promoted to president of team and media operations. Demoff will now be in charge of the Rams (NFL), Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Colorado Rapids (MLS), Colorado Mammoth (NLL), and Denver Nuggets (NBA).
For the past 15 years, Demoff, 47, has served as the Rams’ president and chief operations officer. During that time, the team has relocated back to Los Angeles, built SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and won the Super Bowl in 2021–22 (which was hosted in SoFi Stadium).
Josh Kroenke, Stan Kroenke’s son, will be his supervisor. In addition, Demoff will be in charge of managing all KSE Media businesses, such as Outdoor Sportsman Group, KSE Radio, and Altitude Sports and Entertainment.
“I am honored and humbled to take on this role with KSE and I am grateful to Stan and Josh for this opportunity,” said Demoff in a statement released Thursday. “I am excited to work with so many talented teammates who have helped KSE become the most influential sports and entertainment company in the world. With the goal of sustaining winning cultures and organizations that transcend the field, court, or ice, we will collaboratively build a best-in-class experience for our fans in Denver, Los Angeles, and around the globe.”
Additionally, Mike Neary, a seasoned professional, was appointed by KSE as executive vice president of business operations and growth.
Demoff, Josh Kroenke and Neary virtually addressed the media on Thursday afternoon, outlining these priorities and points of clarity:
Top priority for Demoff at KSE: Wider broadcast distribution
When the first question was posed, Demoff was ready. How can you encourage more Nuggets and Avalanche supporters to watch their teams play?
Altitude TV, the regional sports network that is owned by KSE and broadcasts games for its teams, has been in a carriage dispute with Comcast, the largest cable provider in the Rocky Mountain region, for the better part of the past five years. That has kept a large swath of fans from being able to consistently watch local broadcasts of two of the top teams in their respective leagues.
Many fans are still left out despite the Nuggets’ efforts to establish alternate channels for the programs’ distribution, including agreements with streaming providers like Fubo TV.
“When you think about Altitude, it’s important for our teams to be on television,” Demoff said. “It’s important for our fans to be able to see these generational players we have. It is a complicated place, when you look around the landscape, for all of us from an RSN perspective. But I’m excited to walk in with a new perspective. I know it’s important for our fans to get these games on the air. I think that’s priority No. 1.”
Demoff stated that the KSE could be able to discover a way to have its broadcasts available just via streaming. Expanding the availability of the games might also be accomplished by figuring out how to offer them in a more conventional over-the-air format. He added that a new agreement with cable providers might yet be possible.
The person in charge of KSE’s teams’ organizational flow chart, Josh Kroenke, stated that “the Altitude issue is the most agonizing problem in our network of organizations.” Demoff is anticipated to be crucial in assisting the business in resolving the issue.
“Are we trying to figure out what other people have done to solve this situation?” Demoff said. “For some, the situation may be analogous to us. For some, it might be very different from us. Again, there is no greater priority for our organization and our fans than getting these games on the air.”
Arsenal not a part of role restructures…for now
Stan and Josh Kroenke co-chair KSE, which also owns Arsenal Football Club. The expansion of Demoff’s operational position does not currently involve Arsenal, but Josh Kroenke has expressed a need for increased connectivity between the professional teams’ home markets of Los Angeles, Denver, and London.
“When Kevin and I started to talk about this role … first (we discussed the) Altitude situation, and then (it was), ‘how are we going to string together our operations to truly be best practice in all areas?’” said Kroenke. “That does include London.”
With these appointments and the streamlining of our top-level operations, Kroenke went on, “I think KSE is the best sports and entertainment company in the world in multiple different areas, and I am really excited to see what we can do to include Arsenal in an even more commercial way than we thought possible someday.”
The corporate structure of the Rams will not alter much.
Even while Demoff—who has always contributed significantly to the Rams’ football and business operations—is taking on more responsibility, he stated he does not see any changes to the corporate structure in Los Angeles anytime soon.
“Everybody on our leadership team, they are ready to handle more workload,” said Demoff. “It’s our job to grow them as well. I’m excited to see them take a step up and really understand how we can make this happen. From my perspective, as a good leader this is a great opportunity for our bench to come alive.
“…If we do this right, our entire organization gets stronger. Nothing gets weaker. All of the teams will benefit.”
(Photo: Ric Tapia / Getty Images)
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