The former Chief Legal Officer for Venu Sports, the scrapped joint streaming venture formed by ESPN, FOX, and Warner Bros. Discovery, has signed on with America’s largest audio company, as David Hillman joins iHeartMedia’s C-Suite.
David Hillman has been named iHeart’s Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Secretary, replacing Jordan Fasbender. Hillman will oversee the company’s legal affairs, including compliance, regulatory strategy, corporate governance, and oversight of the Government Affairs, Business Affairs, and Privacy teams.
Before Venu, he held multiple legal leadership positions at Paramount Global, including Executive Vice President and General Counsel of CBS Sports and CBS News & Stations. His earlier career includes time as General Counsel for both Simon & Schuster and Westwood One, with his legal foundation built at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, where he specialized in labor and employment law.
iHeartMedia Chairman and CEO Bob Pittman said, “David has very relevant experience across a range of media businesses, as well as specific familiarity with the audio industry. We believe his wealth of experience will make him an ideal addition to the iHeart executive team as we continue to grow our momentum as the #1 audio company in America.”
Hillman stated, “iHeart is the leader in the audio space in America, backed by a management team deeply committed to growth and innovation, and I’m excited to join and contribute to what’s next. I look forward to working with iHeart’s leadership, partners, and the talented Legal team to help advance the company across every corner of the audio landscape.”
Fasbender is stepping down at the end of April to become General Counsel of Comcast’s new cable network spinoff, SpinCo.
Big move for iHeart. Hillman’s background at CBS and Paramount seems like a solid fit, especially with all the legal complexity around media and streaming these days. Curious to see how he shapes things as audio keeps evolving.