The traditional view of legal as a backstop for risk is increasingly outdated. In sports media law and entertainment transactions, legal teams are now embedded in decisions that drive revenue and innovation. As Senior Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at Tennis Channel, Peter Steckelman has spent more than 15 years at the intersection of sports, media, and technology. That experience informs a more expansive view of legal transformation, positioning it as a strategic function that shapes how companies grow, partner, and compete in a rapidly evolving media landscape. “My role goes beyond legal oversight. It’s about helping creative vision, commercial strategy, and operational clarity all come together,” says Steckelman.
As media companies expand into streaming and emerging platforms, legal teams are not only protecting intellectual property but also shaping intellectual property (IP) strategy in ways that enable new monetization models. This shift underscores why legal leaders drive digital strategy and why the general counsel is increasingly seen as a business architect. “Digital transformation is inherently a leadership challenge, and legal leaders should be at the center of it.”
A Cross-Functional View of Digital Dealmaking
Legal teams occupy a rare position within organizations. They engage with content, distribution, marketing, and technology, often simultaneously, and that vantage point is a competitive advantage. This cross-functional visibility is critical in digital dealmaking, where decisions in one area can quickly impact others. For example, content acquisition in a fragmented media landscape requires coordination across rights holders, distributors, and digital platforms.
Legal leaders help align these moving parts, ensuring that deal structures reflect both commercial priorities and regulatory realities. As deal structures evolve in media, the complexity of multi-party agreements continues to grow. Legal frameworks for sports and entertainment platforms must account for global rights, data usage, and emerging technologies.
Building Governance for Innovation at Scale
As companies invest in AI, streaming infrastructure, and data-driven fan engagement, so risk modernization becomes essential. Steckelman emphasizes the importance of governance in enabling sustainable growth. This includes establishing clear policies around IP protection in the streaming era, as well as navigating data privacy and international compliance requirements. Legal teams are uniquely positioned to build these frameworks, balancing speed with accountability. Rather than slowing innovation, well-designed governance accelerates it. By creating predictable, scalable processes, legal leaders support building legal operations for digital scale, allowing organizations to pursue new opportunities with confidence, knowing that risk is being actively managed rather than reactively addressed.
Structuring Partnerships in a Connected Ecosystem
From global distribution agreements to collaborations with emerging platforms, growth depends on interconnected relationships.“Many digital initiatives rely on multi-party interrelated deals,” says Steckelman. Structuring these agreements requires more than technical expertise. It demands a deep understanding of how different stakeholders create value together. Legal leaders help define these relationships, aligning incentives and ensuring that contracts support long-term strategic goals. This is where digital transformation through legal leadership becomes most visible. By enabling collaboration across organizations, legal teams help turn complex deal structures into engines of growth.
Trust as the Foundation of Digital Growth
At its core, digital transformation is about trust. Audiences expect content to be accessible, secure, and authentic. Legal leaders sit at the center of these expectations. “Ultimately, successful digital transformation depends on trust from partners, audiences, and regulators, and that trust is built through consistent, thoughtful legal frameworks that support both innovation and accountability.” Steckelman’s perspective highlights a broader shift in how organizations approach transformation. Legal is no longer a gatekeeper. It is a strategic driver of change, shaping how companies navigate complexity and capture opportunity in a digital-first environment.
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