In the landscape of sports media, few figures have been as transformative as Jamie Horowitz. Over the past two decades, he has changed the face of sports content from leadership positions at the biggest sports media institutions, including ESPN, Fox Sports, DAZN, HBO, and the WWE.
While Jamie Horowitz may not be a household name, he has likely had a bigger influence on sports entertainment today than any other single person. Before Horowitz began producing content, most sports shows revolved around discussing stats and analysis. Horowitz introduced a new style of dynamic sports programming based on opinion and debate. He prioritized personality over journalism, with the aim of captivating sports fans.
Horowitz’s fiery, funny, and sometimes controversial programs became instant successes. And soon, all of the major networks were emulating Horowitz’s ratings-grabbing style of content. Today, Jamie Horowitz’s influence can be spotted in sports programs across all media.
In this article, we’re going to explore just how profound Horowitz’s production style has been (and continues to be today). To do that, we’ll take a look at two of his most groundbreaking programs, ESPN’s First Take and FS1’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd.
Jamie Horowitz was fascinated with sports from a young age. Though he didn’t know until after graduating from Amherst College that he wanted to pursue a career as a sports media producer. He majored in political science—a far cry from mass communications—but when he saw an opportunity to be a researcher at NBC, he took it.
Horowitz began his career in the sports television industry as an Olympic Researcher for NBC Sports during the 2000 Sydney Summer Games. This first role was an invaluable stepping stone, allowing him to immerse himself in the world of sports programming and learn from industry professionals. Soon after, he was promoted to associate producer and contributed to coverage of the NBA, NASCAR, and the Olympics.
In 2006, Horowitz landed his dream job as a senior producer for ESPN. He climbed the ladder quickly, becoming VP of Original Programming within just a few years. One of his first acts as VP was to manage a morning show called First Take. At the time, it was a very different show than it is today. Horowitz went on to infuse it with new talent and a no-holds-barred debate style that launched it into the mainstream.
First Take was, and still is, one of the most influential sports programs ever produced. Its success made Horowitz’s career, giving him carte blanche to launch more innovative programs such as SportsNation, Numbers Never Lie, and Olbermann.
At under 40 years old, Jamie Horowitz had already revolutionized the genre of daily sports talk programming.
Jamie Horowitz soon outgrew ESPN and moved on to serve as President of Fox Sports national networks (FS1 and FS2). At the time Fox Sports was a fledgling brand facing the sports media behemoth, ESPN. Horowitz helped build FS1 from the ground up, developing original programs like Speak for Yourself, Undisputed, and The Herd with Colin Cowherd. FS1 quickly became a fierce competitor of ESPN and remains so today.
Horowitz’s influence has not been limited to TV and radio. He has also left his mark on digital sports media. Today, Horowitz serves as WWE’s EVP of Digital and Development, where he oversees original programming and all of WWE’s digital initiatives. His role in shaping the strategy for WWE’s social output and off-platform content is a testament to his adaptability in an ever-changing media landscape.
Before joining the WWE, Horowitz served as the EVP of Content for the sports media app DAZN. He was in charge of content creation and strategy, helping grow DAZN’s portfolio to include shows like MLB ChangeUp and The Pat McAfee Show. When Horowitz left, DAZN was the highest-grossing sports app.
First Take: The Show That Changed it All
First Take was Jamie Horowitz’s first major success at ESPN. As a show that had already been airing for over 5 years, most producers would have simply steered the ship. Instead, Horowitz completely rebuilt it from the ground up. As a new VP, this was a make-or-break risk in his career. But he was convinced that the show would be more successful if the focus was put on the opinions of its hosts rather than on news and statistics.
So, he went on a hunt for dynamic hosts with big personalities and electric chemistry. He found them in Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith. The two hosts disagreed about everything, and their daily debates sparked laughter and rage. Viewers couldn’t get enough.
Jamie Horowitz also expanded the range of topics discussed on First Take (and sports shows in general). He wanted to stimulate discussions about sports that went beyond just reporting the news. Smith and Bayless speculated about athletes’ personal lives, celebrity encounters, legal disputes, and more. As long as sports were involved, no topic was off the table.
Of course, this led to controversy from time to time. This soon became a hallmark of Horowitz’s programming style. But as social media was becoming ubiquitous at the time First Taketransformed, controversy only succeeded in breeding more engagement.
The impact of First Take on sports debate shows was profound. It represented a rejection of traditional sports reporting and set a new standard for sports programming, paving the way for the most popular sports programs today.
The Herd with Colin Cowherd: Amplifying a Unique Voice
After his success with First Take, Horowitz moved to Fox Sports with more creative control than ever. He set out immediately to shape an entire network around his style of personality-led sports programming, and his most notable program was The Herd with Colin Cowherd.
Colin Cowherd had been a sports commentator for some time on ESPN Radio, and he had worked with Horowitz during the latter’s early days at ESPN. Cowherd was known for making big and sometimes controversial statements, and while other networks kept their distance from Cowherd, Horowitz was captivated by him. He poached Cowherd from ESPN as soon as he took over at Fox Sports and gave him a 3-hour TV slot on FS1.
Horowitz was instrumental in developing the concept for The Herd’s TV transition—which included openly encouraging Cowherd to voice his opinions. It didn’t take long for The Herd to stampede to success. The Herd was not only a hit in its own right, but it also contributed to a 28% viewership bump for the network.
Under Horowitz’s guidance, The Herd achieved remarkable success in a highly competitive landscape. It had helped turn an unknown sports network into a fierce competitor of the seemingly-untouchable ESPN.
A Lasting Impact on Sports Media
Jamie Horowitz has reshaped the sports media landscape forever. His innovative programs for ESPN and his success at the helm of Fox Sports have led to a seachange in sports programming. Nearly all of today’s sports commentary programs on TV and Radio incorporate Horowitz’s ideas of personality-led content, opinion, and debate.
Horowitz has also had a lasting impact in the digital space. His pioneering digital sports media strategies for DAZN helped to validate digital services as legitimate sources of sports programming.
And, Jamie Horowitz’s impact on the world of sports is far from over. As the current EVP of Digital and Development for WWE, he continues to develop innovative content for social media, streaming services, apps, and other digital spaces.
While Jamie Horowitz has become a legend in sports media, his success can be traced back to the risks he took on First Take and The Herd. These programs make it clear that Horowitz’s true talent is finding talent, and that his success rests on the shoulders of journalists and entertainers such as Stephen A. Smith, Skip Bayless, and Colin Cowherd.