NBA poaches top Spotify marketer to help lead coronavirus recovery efforts and keep the league connected with its fans

• The NBA has hired Spotify marketing executive Danielle Lee for the newly created role of SVP of fan marketing.
• Lee's first job will be to help the league get through the coronavirus crisis after commissioner Adam Silver suspended all games on March 11.
• The NBA also has been combating a ratings decline with more social media marketing, merchandising, and subscriptions to the League Pass service.
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The National Basketball Association has hired Spotify executive Danielle Lee for the newly created role of SVP of fan marketing, a league spokesperson confirmed today.

Lee did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A Spotify representative confirmed her departure.

The news comes as the NBA has faced declining ratings and as live sports, the NBA in particular, feel the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. Lee's first priority will be helping the league recover and keep it relevant after commissioner Adam Silver suspended the 2019-2020 season indefinitely on March 11.

Lee, who was formerly global VP of partner solutions at Spotify, will lead brand and advertising strategy for the organization's properties including the NBA, NBA 2K, and NBA G League.

She is set to start on April 6 and report to NBA CMO Kate Jhaveri.

With all live games cancelled, the NBA is looking for ways to stay relevant to fans

The NBA was the first major sports league to be hit by COVID-19 when Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive on March 11. Silver immediately postponed all sched ued games until further notice.

Since then, several more players have tested positive, including Christian Wood of the Detroit Pistons and former MVP Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets.

Silver told ESPN on Wednesday March 18 that games would not resume until the CDC dropped its restrictions on mass gatherings and floated the possibility of a charity game to keep fans engaged.

Pro basketball remains a major draw for advertisers, though ratings have been declining

The NBA, which was already facing challenges, created Lee's position well before the outbreak hit.

Professional basketball remains one of broadcast television's most popular attractions, but combined ratings for games airing on the league's three key national platforms ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV declined nearly 15% in 2019 even as the NFL saw a resurgence.s

Silver told The Washington Post that the NBA looked to replace some of that lost viewership with increased social media engagement, merchandising revenue, and promotion of the Turner Broadcasting-owned League Pass subscription service.

Jhaveri said Lee's job was to expand efforts to connect more directly with fans worldwide.

For now, the NBA must take an all-hands-on-deck mentality in tackling the coronavirus, because advertisers and sponsors had multi-million-dollar contracts riding on the now-stalled season.

Lee was hired to manage how the NBA promotes itself and uses fans' data

According to the NBA, Lee will oversee the league's advertising and how it uses data to drive brand strategy.

At Spotify, she led efforts to further monetize all content and facilitate brand partnerships as the streaming music company moved into podcasts. She previously held top positions at Vevo, AT&T, and Showtime.

Lee sits on the boards of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Makers Women, a production company focused on gender equality projects. She also facilitated Spotify's 2020 sponsorship of See It Be It, a partnership with the Cannes Lions Festival to provide opportunities to young female creatives.

Business Insider named Lee one of the most powerful women in mobile marketing for 2016, the year she joined Spotify.