Kickboxing News: Glory Appoints New CEO, Extends Spike TV Broadcast Deal

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Jon Franklin has been appointed as the new CEO of Glory Sports International, parent company of the Glory kickboxing organization.

Glory announced the move in a Tuesday press release. Franklin is a former vice president and managing director at sports marketing giant IMG Media. He is also president of The Sports and Entertainment Company (Sports-Ent Co.), a sports marketing company which numbers the U.S. national ski team and Golden Gloves boxing organization among its current and former clients.

“I look forward to working with Jon in this new capacity. He has been a big part of our incredible success thus far and is uniquely suited to lead Glory into the next phase of development,” stated Pierre Andurand, the oil trader who co-founded Glory and now serves as company chairman. “With Jon at the helm, we are confident that 2015 will be a banner year in the evolution of our brand as a leading combat sports league in the United States and abroad.”

Franklin replaces Andrew Whitaker in the CEO role. Whitaker, a former WWE executive, will move to an advisory role on business development and sales of the company’s television content packages.

“I am honored to have been a part of Glory’s growth into one of the top fight promotions worldwide. But the work is not yet done,” Franklin stated. “I truly believe that we have the best athletes in the world, with production for both live audiences and home viewers that is second to none. “As we move into the new year, I can’t wait to share Glory’s global vision for kickboxing with our fans.”

It was also announced by Glory that the company’s broadcast deal with Spike TV has been extended to cover 2015. Franklin says he is open to any ideas which Spike TV or Bellator MMA may want to put forward about future collaborations.