“From my perspective, that is the job I needed,” Blackburn lately instructed The Athletic in an interview. “I did not need different roles. That is precisely the position that I need. One thing in sports activities with a improbable group already in place that constructed an awesome enterprise during the last 22 years.

Blackburn labored facet by facet with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on a number of ventures, together with the launch of Prime Video, Amazon Studios, and Amazon Music.

“Jeff’s appointment marks a pivotal step in our technique to speed up Tennis Channel’s development and unlock long-term worth throughout Sinclair’s portfolio,” mentioned Chris Ripley, President and CEO of Sinclair Inc. in an announcement. “With a observe report of driving innovation and scaling multibillion-dollar media companies, Jeff brings the strategic imaginative and prescient and operational experience to broaden our digital footprint, deepen viewers engagement, and capitalize on world sports activities and streaming developments.

“His management will probably be instrumental as we proceed to develop Tennis Channel’s distribution and broaden its direct-to-consumer providing, additional establishing Tennis Channel as a world, always-on vacation spot for followers throughout each display screen and platform.”

Within the interview, Blackburn revealed that Amazon thought-about buying Tennis Channel outright earlier than Sinclair purchased the channel rights for $350 million in 2014.

“We took a tough take a look at Tennis Channel,” Blackburn mentioned. “We did not purchase it. Sinclair did. I’ve had regrets about that for the final 9 years. I all the time puzzled if there could be one other alternative with Tennis Channel, and this got here round.”

Blackburn, a long-time tennis fan, hopes to convey the teachings he realized at Amazon to his new enterprise at Tennis Channel.

“I obtained the chance to construct a streaming enterprise from the bottom up and began Prime Video and constructed Amazon Studios from nothing, after which obtained to enter sports activities six or seven years in the past. I consider all these experiences and the way we constructed it, and I can apply it to the Tennis Channel.”

Tennis Channel was launched in 2003.