Marie Donoghue, Key Figure in Amazon's Sports Media Strategy, Departs

Donoghue's departure comes after successful tenure marked by securing major sports rights and innovating the game-watching experience.

Marie Donoghue, who helped Amazon break into the U.S. sports-media business, is leaving the company.
Donoghue had been hired to oversee Prime Video’s global sports strategy, identifying and evaluating new sports opportunities, and led efforts to acquire the rights to “Thursday Night Football,” which has helped the tech giant gain traction among consumers and sports leagues over the last few years.
During Donoghue’s tenure Amazon also navigated its way into agreements with the WNBA and some contracts with UEFA Champions League.
Amazon pays roughly $1 billion annually for the exclusive NFL rights, and saw a 24% viewership increase in year two of the 11-year deal.
Amazon has tried to weave new elements into the traditional game-watching process, offering the chance to call up stats and replays at the click of a button, as well as watch a group of “alterna-casts” aimed at different audience niches.