Budapest and Zurich, 25.03.2024
Ottó Kiss has been appointed Managing Director of Sportal.hu effective March 25, 2024. In close cooperation with Ringier Hungary, Ringier Sports Media Group (RSMG) launched Sportal.hu in October 2022 as a digital sports platform providing sports fans in Hungary with the best videos, commentaries, analysis, interviews, statistics, and live scores. Backed by the strategic expertise and technical know-how of RSMG, the market leader for digital sports content in CEE, Sportal.hu has managed to become one of the most widely used sports media platforms in the Hungarian sports market.
Robin Lingg, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ringier Sports Media Group: “I am proud of what the Sportal.hu team has achieved so far and would like to thank Tibor Kovacs, CEO of Ringier Hungary, for his support during the start-up phase. With Ottó Kiss as the new Managing Director of Sportal.hu, we will be able to focus even more on taking the lead in the Hungarian sports media business. Hungary is a country with an excellent sports culture and a large fan base. Therefore, Sportal.hu is an attractive advertising space for various customer groups and companies. We will continue to expand our offer in this area – especially ahead of the EURO 2024. Welcome Otto to the team!”
Prior to joining Sportal.hu, Ottó Kiss was Brand Director at Sony Pictures Television Networks (now Antenna Entertainment CEE), where he was responsible for the development of the media company’s Central and Eastern European portfolio since 2017. In this role, he was also instrumental in overseeing sports rights and brands in the region, while building strong professional networks in Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece – countries that overlap with the markets of the RSMG portfolio.
Previously, Ottó Kiss advised media companies on business restructuring, brand building, market development, strategy, distribution, and M&A as an independent consultant.
Ottó Kiss: “I am looking forward to tackling the challenges in the highly competitive sports media market together with Sportal.hu’s Editor-in-Chief István Kecskés and his team. Our goal is market leadership. At Sportal.hu, we will not just be covering EURO 2024; we are going to capture the soul of the game, bringing every moment of passion and triumph directly to our readers.”
Tibor Kovács, CEO of Ringier Hungary: “We are happy to welcome Ottó Kiss to Ringier Hungary’s management as managing director of Sportal.hu. He can build on strong foundations: the knowledge and drive of a well-prepared sports editorial team, the business portfolio of Ringier Hungary and on the strategic and technical expertise of RSMG.”
Ringier Sports Media Group (RSMG)
Since its launch in 2022, RSMG merges top national sports media with innovative global tech. With 8 brands across 8 European countries, RSMG reaches more than 25 million fans with its platforms monthly – powered by more than 400 colleagues. Beyond its sports media brands, RSMG also operates its Content Managements System “Sportal.365” and maintains a strategic partnership with LiveScoreGroup. RSMG is continuously and strategically investing in sports media with the goal of achieving a prominent position through the consolidation of leading digital sports media brands. These brands currently include Sportal Media Group in Bulgaria with Sportal.bg and Sportal365, gsp.ro in Romania, Sportal.rs in Serbia, Sportal.hu in Hungary, Sport.sk in Slovakia, Sportal.gr in Greece, A Bola in Portugal and Sportnieuws.nl in the Netherlands. The strategic investment in the UK-based LiveScore Group in 2022 further underscores RSMG’s aspiration to build a leading European sports media player by 2025.