New York, NY and New Berlin, WI – Sportsman Channel , the cable network of InterMedia Outdoor Holdings, the largest media company dedicated to outdoorsmen, today announced that cable television and outdoor industry veteran Gavin Harvey has been named Chief Executive Officer. In his new role, Mr. Harvey will report to the InterMedia Outdoor Holdings Board of Directors and will be partnered with the CEO of InterMedia Outdoors, Inc., Jeff Paro.
“Sportsman Channel is the last piece of the puzzle for InterMedia Outdoors,” said Paro. “We have long been the leader in magazines, internet, and TV production. With the recent explosive growth of Sportsman Channel and the addition of Gavin, who brings tremendous experience in cable and the outdoor space, we are extremely excited about further asserting our overall market and industry leadership. I have known Gavin for a long time and am personally thrilled to be working with someone so accomplished in the network space who is equally committed to, and passionate about, the outdoors.”
Mr. Harvey has more than 20 years of experience with cable television networks, which includes the post of Executive Vice President and General Manager of Fuse. Prior to Fuse, Mr. Harvey served as the President of Versus, the national sports network owned by Comcast. At Versus, Harvey is credited with expanding the network’s outdoor television and digital media franchise. Mr. Harvey has also served as Executive Vice President and Marketing & Brand Director at E! Networks, where he was in charge of brand strategies worldwide, as well as advertising, creative services, public relations, marketing, and all promotions for E! Networks, including E! Entertainment Television, The Style Network, E! International and E! Online. Mr. Harvey began his career at The Disney Channel, and has also held executive positions at In Demand and FX Networks.
Peter Kern, Managing Partner of InterMedia Partners, the majority shareholder of InterMedia Outdoors, said: “We have known Gavin and followed his work for many years, and there isn’t anyone better or more qualified to run Sportsman Channel. Not only does Gavin have tremendous cable expertise and experience in the hunting and fishing category in particular, but he is also a dedicated sportsman who understands the passion and commitment of our consumers.” Kern added, “With Gavin at the helm, and with the benefit of all our other related media properties, there is no question in our minds that Sportsman Channel will continue to be the leading cable and satellite network in the outdoor category.”
Mr. Harvey said of his new position “I’m extremely excited to be back in outdoor television and to join a network with so much momentum. With all the complementary media and content assets that exist in InterMedia Outdoors, Sportsman Channel is uniquely positioned to deliver unbeatable value to distributors, advertisers, and outdoor enthusiasts. InterMedia Outdoors is the authoritative voice of the outdoors in TV, print, and digital, and has really succeeded in building a true multiplatform enterprise that reaches millions of hunters and anglers. This is a great time for the outdoor category and I intend to elevate Sportsman Channel to the prominence it deserves.” The addition of Harvey marks a period of tremendous growth and expansion for Sportsman Channel. Over the past year, it has been one of the fastest-growing networks in television, now reaching nearly 26 million subscribers. In Q1 of this year, Sportsman also successfully launched Sportsman HD and added two new original shows, Modern Rifle Adventures and Predator Nation TV, to its already industry leading line-up of originally produced content.
About Sportsman Channel: Launched in 2003, Sportsman Channel is the only television and digital media company fully devoted to the more than 82 million sportsmen in the United States, delivering entertaining and educational programming focused exclusively on hunting, shooting and fishing activities. Sportsman Channel is now available in HD, check with your local cable or satellite provider. Acquired by InterMedia Outdoors Holdings in 2006, Sportsman Channel reaches nearly 26 million U.S. television households and is a part of the nation’s largest multimedia company targeted exclusively to serving the information and entertainment needs of outdoors enthusiasts. Visit www.thesportsmanchannel.com, follow on Twitter, @SPORTSMANchnl , or become a Fan on Facebook.
