Tod Leiweke is headed back to Seattle. The veteran sports executive will be officially announced as the CEO and president of Seattle’s NHL ownership group on Wednesday. Leiweke was most recently chief operating officer at the NFL and was the Seahawks CEO from 2003 to 2010. He’ll make a return to the Emerald City to join his brother, Tim Leiweke, who heads up Oak View Group, the ownership firm trying to bring an NHL expansion team to the Seattle. Update: Here’s a statement from Leiweke: “It’s an honor and privilege for me and my family to return to Seattle, and I thank… Read More
NFL COO Tod Leiweke stepped down Tuesday and reports indicate that the former Seahawks CEO will team up with his brother and help lead Seattle’s potential new NHL franchise. Both the Seattle Times and KIRO Radio report that Leiweke will return to Seattle and join his brother, Tim Leiweke, who heads up Oak View Group, the ownership firm trying to bring an NHL expansion team to the Emerald City. Leiweke spent the past three years as a top NFL executive and led the Seahawks from 2003 to 2010. He spoke at our GeekWire Sports Tech Summit this past summer and… Read More
Technology is shaking up the NFL, from how fans watch games to keeping players safe on the field. Attendees at our second annual GeekWire Sports Tech Summit got the inside scoop from NFL COO Tod Leiweke on how the nation’s most popular professional sports league is tapping into the latest innovations both on and off the field. Veteran NFL reporter John Clayton sat down with Leiweke, the former CEO of the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Lightning who became the NFL’s COO in 2015, to talk about everything from the league’s new streaming deal with Amazon to the declining TV ratings… Read More
Everyone these days wants to be like Amazon, even the NFL apparently. At the 2017 GeekWire Sports Tech Summit, NFL COO Tod Leiweke addressed Amazon’s deal to stream 10 Thursday Night Football games this season for a reported price of $50 million. Amazon took over for Twitter, which paid a reported $10 million for the same exact package last season. Leiweke praised Amazon and compared his league to the retail giant’s approach of “customer obsession” when it comes to improving the experience for fans. “It’s been fun for us to talk to the Amazon guys,” Leiweke said. “They are just amazing… Read More
Despite widespread reports that NFL television ratings were down this past season, the chief operating officer of the league insists that audience has never been stronger. Speaking at the 2017 GeekWire Sports Tech Summit, NFL COO and former Seattle Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke said with all the new ways people are using technology to watch games and follow the league, traditional TV ratings don’t fully measure the audience. “We believe that there are more people watching and following us than ever before, and we know that intuitively, and then the information’s going out, and you are seeing it in all… Read More
