Fox Sports Media Group Names Neal Coordinating Producer for Super Bowl XLVIII

Veteran sports producer David Neal has been appointed to the newly created position of coordinating producer for Fox Sports Media Group’s extensive multiplatform coverage of Super Bowl XLVIII next winter.

The announcement was made today by FSMG Co-Presidents/COOs Randy Freer and Eric Shanks and Executive Producer/EVP of Production John Entz. Neal joined Fox Sports Media Group in September as executive producer of its upcoming World Cup coverage and, since then, has also been named executive producer of FSMG’s CONCACAF Gold Cup coverage this summer. He maintains responsibilities for both events.

As the countdown to the biggest event in television history continues, Neal is responsible for managing all live programming broadcast by Fox Sports; Fox Sports 1, the newly minted national multisport cable channel launching this summer; Fox Sports’ regional networks; FSMG digital platforms; and all other national and international News Corp. assets.

Working closely with the NFL and the New York/New Jersey Super Bowl Host Committee to plan and implement the network’s comprehensive offerings, Neal coordinates production and operational needs leading up to and including the game broadcast, live from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Having already televised six Super Bowls since its inception in 1994, this is the first time Fox Sports has seen the need to create a position of this type.

“We have no doubt that the volume of programming we and other News Corp entities plan from New York and New Jersey in the week leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII is going to be massive, and orchestrating the efforts for all these assets in advance of the biggest television event in history is an Olympian task that very few are qualified to do,” said Shanks. “Fortunately, once we realized this, we didn’t have to look any further than down the hall to find the ideal person for the job, and everyone at FSMG is thrilled to have David at the helm.”

Before joining FSMG, Neal spent more than 30 years at NBC Sports and the Olympics, overseeing coverage of several Winter and Summer Olympic Games, NBA Finals, World Series, and Super Bowl pregame shows. At NBC, he held dual roles as EVP of NBC Olympics, responsible for the production, programming, and technical engineering departments, along with serving as executive producer of NBC Sports, giving him additional responsibility for all sports production. Neal spent two years leading his production company, David Neal Productions, before joining FSMG.

“Super Bowl XLVIII will be a spectacular television event across the diverse array of Fox’s sports and entertainment networks, and I am honored to be chosen to coordinate this once-in-a-lifetime effort,” said Neal. “Contingents from Fox to Fox Sports 1 to the numerous global assets of News Corp. will converge on New York and New Jersey to cover this Super Bowl with unprecedented scope and scale. It will be vital to coordinate and fully integrate our plans with the NFL and the Super Bowl Host Committee to deliver comprehensive and unique Super Bowl week programming to our worldwide audience.”