Tony Petitti is leaving Major League Baseball after 12 years to become president of sports and entertainment for the video game and esports company Activision Blizzard Inc. on Aug. 17.
Petitti was one of two deputy commissioners under baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, in charge of business and media. Dan Halem is deputy commissioner for baseball administration and chief legal officer.
Activision Blizzard said Monday that Petitti will report to CEO Bobby Kotick and will oversee esports, consumer products, and film and television.
A graduate of Haverford College, Petitti attended Harvard Law School. He worked for ABC and was executive vice president and executive producer at CBS Sports, then became responsible for the CBS College Sports Network, formerly CSTV. He was hired in April 2008 as president and chief executive officer of the MLB Network, set to launch the following Jan. 1.
As Manfred prepared to succeed Bud Selig as baseball commissioner, Petitti became MLB’s chief operating officer in December 2014. He was promoted to the deputy commissioner role three years later and was in charge of all content and revenue-related operations.
Formed in the 2008 merger of Activision and Vivendi Games, Activision Blizzard has properties including esports' Overwatch League and Call of Duty League.
Rising safety concerns over water bead products marketed to kids have prompted major retailers like Amazon, Target and Walmart to pull some toys off their shelves.
The Congressional Budget Office said Friday it expects inflation to nearly hit the Federal Reserve's 2% target rate in 2024, as overall growth is expected to slow and unemployment is expected to rise into 2025, according to updated economic projections for the next two years.
Intel is out with a new product to challenge other big players in the space like Nvidia and AMD.
Stocks fell after the opening bell Friday but will end on another positive week.
Cheddar News' Need2Know is brought to you by Securitize, which helps unlock broader access to alternative investments in private businesses, funds, and other alternative assets. The private credit boom is here and the Hamilton Lane Senior Credit Opportunities Fund has tripled in assets under management in just six months from November 2022 through April this year. Visit Securitize.io to learn more.
Americans picked up their spending from October to November as the unofficial holiday season kicked off, underscoring that shoppers still have power to keep buying.
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate dropped below 7% to its lowest level since early August, another boost for prospective homebuyers who have largely been held back by sharply higher borrowing costs and heightened competition for relatively few homes for sale.
Mortgage rates have dropped below 7% for the first time since the middle of August.
Taylor Swift grossed nearly $2 billion this year, according to Billboard.
A study from US News and World Report has found the most affordable place to retire is in Ohio.
