Pete Blackburn has joined Bally Sports as the face of their national NHL coverage, according to Barrett Media. Blackburn confirmed the move shortly thereafter on his Twitterfeed.
It brings me no pleasure to report I once again have responsibilities https://t.co/b4lDVcoJqD
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) May 12, 2021
Based in Boston, Blackburn will lead the editorial coverage of the NHL for Bally, which has 12 franchises as part of its broadcasting rights package. Three more teams also air games on Bally’s affiliates and the Seattle Kraken will become the fourth when they start to play next season. Blackburn, who is no stranger to working gambling info into his coverage of the sport, is expected to continue doing so given Bally’s branding.
Blackburn, who also co-hosts the Listen to Brunch podcast, had previously worked for CBS Sports since 2017 where he led NHL coverage. He announced that he was leaving the company back in April.
After four awesome years, I'm leaving @CBSSports. Today is my last day. It's been an incredible place to work & I'm extremely thankful for the opportunities I've gotten. Sad to be leaving but very excited for what's next
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) April 23, 2021
Prior to that, Blackburn was part of the Fox Sports “pivot to video” purge of 2017, an ill-fated editorial decision that they would soon come to regret and eventually reverse altogether.
wow written articles…now that's what I call fully reimagined https://t.co/FM8I4c3cNd
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) July 20, 2020
Along with those companies, he has also written for Sports Illustrated, WEEI, and Uproxx.
Blackburn joins Annie Agar as recent hires for Bally, which appears to be focusing its efforts on online-friendly content creators who appeal to younger audiences and social media platforms.
[Barrett]
