• Loading stock data...
Thursday, October 16, 2025

Office Hours: Peter Hutton on Facebook’s Next Step In Sports

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Powered by RedCircle

Welcome to a new episode of Office Hours: a podcast where Front Office Sports CEO Adam White has a discussion with figures from throughout the sports industry centered around three basic questions. Those questions are “What’s on your mind today?”, “What are you excited about?”, and “Any big ideas or theories you want to share?”

Peter Hutton is the current Director of Sports Partnerships at Facebook. Previously, he spent just over three years as the CEO of Eurosport. Hutton joins White in today’s episode to chat about the tech giant’s strengths and opportunities in the sports space, being a seasoned world traveller, and preparing for the future.

Edited highlights appear below:

On Facebook working and growing their relationship with athletes (14:47)

Hutton: “We’ve got teams of people who work specifically with athletes to talk about best practices on the platform, how they can grow their fan base, how they can potentially commercialize that fan base. And I think that’s definitely something that we’ll look at more and more. That’s a worldwide phenomenon. You know, it’s cricketers in India, it’s Lewis Hamilton in the UK, it’s NFL stars here. I think that’s a really interesting area. That idea that you can talk directly to your favorite athlete, I think, is a wonderful thing.

On knowing Facebook is in a good spot (36:39)
Hutton: “The fundamental part for being part of this industry is that you’re part of a growth story. And you know, I’ve been through sort of all these different companies on a very winding route to get there. Some of them have definitely not been growth stories…Facebook’s not like that. It’s clearly a growth business. It’s one which is looking to the future, investing in technology, things like Portal and Oculus. It’s tremendous to be around the sort of engineers who are building that and therefore to be part of that energy, to be part of that sense of where we’re a future looking company I think is really important and really sort of enlightening.”

Office Hours is Presented to You By Bittrex

On growth opportunities for Facebook Sports (37:17)

Hutton: “I think you look at the technology and the doors the technology is opening up. So you look at things like Messenger, WhatsApp, or Oculus. You look at where that can take the sports industry and find that connection between what Facebook is building and what the sports industry needs. And if we can help find the middle ground that works for both organizations, then that’s a good place to be.”

On the biggest issues that teams hope Facebook can help them solve (39:00)
Hutton: “The first thing is really audience development. We often go with really long presentations of all the book things that we can open. And the number one factor is how do we find our next audience? And that’s the right thing for a sports organization because you’ve permanently got to be looking at how you engage with younger demographics, with worldwide demographics, how you spread your fan base and therefore prepare better for the future. So we do offer up lots of different business solutions, whether it be branded content or commerce and conversion, but fundamentally audience development is the number one thing that I think we can help with.”

Love what we are doing? Help us grow and get in front of more people by subscribing below and leaving a review! 

Powered by RedCircle

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Have We Reached Peak Athlete Podcast?

How many athlete podcasts can the market support?

Silver: My Comments About Basketball Highlights Were ‘Misconstrued’

The NBA commissioner spoke at the Front Office Sports Tuned in summit.
Sep 11, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier (24) dribbles past Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaun (13) in the second half at Target Center.

As WNBA Grows, Engelbert Says Its Playoff Field Won’t for a While

Eight of thirteen WNBA teams made the playoffs this year.
Jun 27, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of a Wilson basketball and the Dallas Wings logo during the game between the Wings and the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center.

Democratic Women’s Caucus Urges WNBA to End CBA Stalemate

The league and WNBPA must reach an agreement by Oct. 31.

Featured Today

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) celebrates with her teammates after her last second shot to take the lead 90-88 against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Oct. 8, 2025.
exclusive

Standoff Over WNBA’s Future Has Dominated Finals

CBA negotiations have stolen the spotlight from the Aces’ dominant performance.
Paul Cartier
October 5, 2025

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Sep 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.
October 4, 2025

Milwaukee Moneyball: Brewers Are Beating MLB’s Deeper Pockets

Milwaukee is holding its own against big-budget competitors.
Kōloa Rum Company Rum Rusher
September 27, 2025

Panthers Bubbly, Jets Wine, Manning Whiskey: The Sports Booze Boom

A sommelier dives into the sports booze trend—and tries Jets wine.

Office Hours: Alex Magleby, co-founder and CEO of the New England Free..

Alex Magleby, the New England Free Jacks co-founder and CEO, is bullish on rugby’s future in the U.S. and Major League Rugby.
July 22, 2020

Office Hours: Devon Kennard, Real Estate Investor

Devon Kennard has found success on and off the field with a multi-million dollar real estate portfolio that includes 14 different properties.
August 13, 2020

Office Hours: Bart Conner, Owner of Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy and Former..

Bart Conner is the only American male gymnast to win a gold medal at every level of national and international competition.
Sponsored

How Jenny Just Is Shaping the Future of Sports Ownership

Jenny Just on bringing her investment experience to sports ownership.
July 7, 2020

Office Hours: Isaac Rochell, Founder, Local Human

On today’s episode, we’re joined by Isaac Rochell, Los Angeles Chargers defensive end and founder of apparel company Local Human.
June 17, 2020

Office Hours: Brent Celek, Owner, Pando Mortgage

On today’s episode, we’re joined by Brent Celek, former NFL tight end turned real estate investor and Owner of Pando Mortgage.
May 27, 2020

Office Hours: Justin Forsett, CEO & Co-Founder, Hustle Clean

On today’s episode, we’re joined by Justin Forsett, former NFL running back turned CEO & Co-Founder of Hustle Clean.
March 18, 2020

Office Hours: Rich Antoniello, Founder and CEO, Complex Networks

Rich Antionello, founder and CEO of Complex, discusses sports, media and the life of an entrepreneur.