NESN Appoints Wade Nielsen As Senior Vice President Of Advertising Sales

NESN, New England’s premier sports network, on Tuesday announced the appointment of Wade Nielsen as Senior Vice President of Advertising Sales. He will lead the continued evolution of NESN and SportsNet Pittsburgh’s (SNP) advertising model and drive integrated revenue strategies across broadcast, streaming, digital, programmatic, and emerging platforms. 

Nielsen brings more than two decades of experience in sports media, revenue growth, and sales transformation, including senior leadership roles across regional sports networks, digital media, and national advertising. In this role, Nielsen will lead efforts to deliver measurable value to advertisers and sponsors through innovative monetization strategies that leverage audience insights, data-driven targeting and cutting-edge technology. His focus includes creating new revenue streams, exploring advanced ad formats, and driving adoption of next-generation advertising solutions across traditional and digital platforms.

“Wade’s appointment reflects our commitment to building a forward-thinking, integrated revenue organization with innovation and partnership at the center to drive success for our sponsors,” said David Wisnia, CEO of NESN and SNP. “His deep experience across pay and broadcast television, streaming, and digital media makes him a great fit to shape our revenue strategy and continue the momentum NESN and SNP have built in delivering great value to partners and advertisers.”

Most recently, Nielsen served as Vice President of Digital Sales, Strategy & Partnerships at FanDuel Sports Network (formerly Bally Sports Network and Fox Regional Sports Networks), where he led digital ad sales, go-to-market strategy and key partnership initiatives across the entire network portfolio. In this role, Nielsen helped modernize operations, expand digital monetization, and guide the industry’s transition from traditional regional sports networks to integrated streaming and broadcast businesses.

Prior to that, he held other leadership roles at the network, including AVP and Senior Director of Digital Ad Sales, where he oversaw national and regional digital sales efforts across some of the most valuable live sports properties in the U.S. Nielsen started his career in the San Diego and Salt Lake City markets in broadcast television sales and management and transitioned to Sinclair Broadcast Group with their acquisition of the network. With Sinclair, he served as Senior Regional Digital Manager and Head of SMB Digital Solutions, where he oversaw multi-market digital sales organizations and developed innovative, cross-platform sponsorship models for national and regional sports advertisers.

“I’m excited to work alongside the talented teams at NESN and SNP to help guide the networks through their ongoing digital transformation,” said Nielsen. “These are networks where innovation, collaboration, and excellence are at the core of every decision, and they’re what drives growth. I look forward to delivering added value for our advertisers, creating new strategic opportunities, and fostering an environment where our teams can thrive.”

About NESN
NESN is consistently one of the top-rated regional sports networks in the country with award-winning Red Sox and Bruins coverage, and recently named RSN of the Year by Cynopsis. NESN and NESN+ are delivered throughout the six-state New England region and are available anytime, anywhere, on any device on the NESN 360 app via direct subscription or TV authentication. The network is also distributed nationally as NESN National. NESN’s free ad-supported streaming (FAST) channel, NESN NATION, offers 35+ hours of weekly live and original programming, including exclusive sports content, interviews, and behind-the-scenes features, available on Samsung TV Plus, Prime Video, Roku, LG, Twitch, Plex, and TCLtv+. NESN.com is one of the country’s most visited sports websites with dedicated digital video production and always-on news coverage. NESN’s social responsibility program, NESN Connects, is proud to support and connect its employees with charitable organizations in the Greater Boston community. NESN also manages SportsNet Pittsburgh, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Pirates for all regionally televised games in and around Pittsburgh, as well as other local sports content. NESN is owned by Fenway Sports Group (owners of the Boston Red Sox) and Delaware North (owners of the Boston Bruins).