Darren Rovell leaving ESPN for gambling website The Action Network
The pull of the rapidly expanding gambling industry has claimed another high-profile media member.
ESPN sports business reporter Darren Rovell is getting out of his contract early so he can join The Action Network, a gambling startup, he confirmed to The Washington Post.
“ESPN does a great job covering gambling, but winners in spaces today are the ones in the niches, not generalists,” Rovell told the Post. “People aspire to go to organizations that are specialists. You feel good watching CNBC because all they do is business. All Action does is gambling.”
Rovell, who had been at ESPN for the last six years, will start Monday and his title will be senior executive producer.
“They’re buying me as a brand,” Rovell said. “They’re buying a brand with two million Twitter followers. And I’ll be tweeting links to promote everything — the website, the app and my stories."
The Action Network is run by former ESPN.com chief Chad Millman, who oversaw the establishment of a gambling section on ESPN's website.
Two years ago, veteran ESPN broadcaster Brent Musburger left the network to establish the Vegas Stats and Information Network.