Doug Perlman

Doug Perlman is a sports media executive and the founder and CEO of Sports Media Advisors, a leading boutique advisory firm in the sports media space.  Prior to founding SMA in 2009, Perlman began his career as a lawyer at Proskauer Rose, was EVP, Media at the National Hockey League and served as President of IMG Media. 

SMA is widely known as one of the top firms that advises sports properties on their media strategies and rights negotiations. Perlman and SMA have negotiated tens of billions of dollars in rights fees for some of the largest sports properties. SMA’s notable clients include the NFL, NASCAR, the USTA, the Breeders’ Cup, U.S. Soccer, UFC, MLB, Hockey Canada, Ryder Cup, Sixth Street’s Soccer Champions Tour, Little League, Learfield, IMG College, and many professional teams and Division I athletic departments. SMA has also helped clients navigate the idiosyncratic sports landscape, including Twitter, EA, Cirque du Soleil, and leading AI firm WSC.   In addition to its media rights negotiation and strategic consulting work, SMA has also consulted with numerous leading private equity firms to help assess investment opportunities in the sports and media spaces.

Perlman has been recognized by multiple industry publications and organizations as a leader in the sports, media, and technology industries. He was named to the Sports Business Journal’s prestigious Forty Under 40 list three times, earning him membership in the Forty under 40 “Hall of Fame.” He was also named one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Sports by The Sporting News. Perlman is regularly cited as an expert voice in news articles and television programs and is often a featured speaker at industry and other events. He also regularly speaks to students on college and university campuses.

Perlman is a graduate of Duke University where he received a BA, cum laude, in political science and of the University of Virginia where he received his J.D. He lives in New Canaan, Connecticut, with his wife, Lisa and they have three sons.