BBC's Hurst Joins Nielsen Sport

Former BBC Sport Digital Development Editor Chris Hurst is joining Nielsen Sports as Head of Digital for the UK.

Hurst spent three years at the national broadcaster where he was the editorial and social media lead for the development of its interactive services, reaching more than 20 million unique browsers each week in the UK. He oversaw editorial development plans for the Rio Olympics; helped grow BBC Sport's Facebook fan base organically from 150,000 in 2013 to 10.5 million in 2015, and managed partnerships with the likes of Twitter and Google, around major events such as the World Cup, Wimbledon and The Masters.

Earlier he worked at the International Cricket Council in Dubai, and the English Premier League in London.

In his new role, Hurst will play a key part in growing a product range including Social24, which Nielsen says has 'fast become the industry standard in social media valuation and brand optimization for both rights holders and brands' across most major sports.

The division was created when Nielsen acquired Repucom in June - it was rebranded as Nielsen Sports in July. Former Repucom execs Danny Townsend and Glenn Lovett were appointed in October as Co-Managing Directors, while Repucom founder Paul Smith is to leave the business at the end of the year.

Max Barnett, Global Head of Digital at Nielsen Sports, says Hurst is 'a fantastic addition to the UK team', adding: 'He has worked with some of the biggest rights holders in UK sport, understanding fully the demands of the industry and delivering best in class solutions that have helped far exceed the expectations of clients'.

Web site: www.nielsensports.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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