DFL Digital Sports, the subsidiary of the German Football League (DFL) responsible for the distribution of the Bundesliga’s digital content, has recruited Ivo Hrstic, previously the director of digital operations at German sports broadcaster Sport1, as its head of broadcast content.
Hrstic joins the Cologne-based operation from German production company KG Media Factory.
He spent 18 years at Sport1, latterly as director, digital but left at the end of 2018 to become chief digital officer at the company led by Klaus Gronewald, also formerly of Sport1.
Hrstic joined Sport1 in 2000 when it was still known as DSF and initially worked on Bundesliga Aktuell, the Bundesliga programme fronted by Gronewald. He went on to become editor of the football talk show Doppelpass. He became head of news at the end of 2012 before switching to take on the oversight of Sport1’s digital content in May 2015.
In March, DFL Digital Sports recruited Google’s Nina Tsimpouli as its new director of content marketing.
DFL Digital Sports is led by chief executive Andreas Heyden, who renewed his contract for a further five years at the start of 2018. He also took on a digital innovation remit as the Bundesliga looked to promote itself as the most innovative and technologically advanced football league in the world.
Along with the production of digital content, DFL Digital Sports is also responsible for the operation of the Bundesliga’s digital platforms and creation of international television programmes.