Sara Levinson

Levinson stepped down in 2002, but remained on the board of directors until the company was sold to Zelnick Media in 2018.

Levinson built the NFL’s first marketing research departments and introduced development programs to expand the league’s viewership among casual fans. In 1999, Levinson made the NFL an official national sponsor of the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, to further the league’s appeal with its 68 million female viewers. Under Levinson’s direction, the NFL started a network of flag-football leagues called Play Football and a girls-only division of Punt, Pass and Kick. As a result of her promotional efforts to women and kids, Advertising Age named the NFL the Promotional Marketer of the year.

As a result of her work in the league, Levinson was awarded the Advertising Age 1995 Promotional Marketer of the Year, Women In Sports and Entertainment (WISE) Woman of the Year Award 1995, and The Sporting News' 100 Most Powerful People in Sports from 1996-98.

In 1994, Levinson left Viacom to run the NFL’s marketing, licensing, and sponsorship arm, representing the league and all 32 teams. As President of NFL Properties, she became the first female president and highest ranking woman in major league sports.

In 1993, Levinson was named Co-President of MTV. Under her management, MTV reached 239 million households in 63 countries, including 59 million in the United States.

In 1990, Levinson moved into a role as EVP MTV Business Director. She most notably oversaw MTV’s global expansion, bringing the network to almost every continent and into publishing, merchandising, and licensing. She launched MTV in Asia, Japan, Brazil, Latin America, and Australia. She is credited with hastening the network's global development by pursuing agreements for a host of products and ancillary businesses, such as an MTV record club, a Nickelodeon production studio, and MTV's Spanish language program, MTV Internacional. During this time, she was named to Crain's New York Business 40 Under 40.

In 1986, Levinson was hired as EVP of New Business Development for MTV Networks, where she orchestrated the strategy to further expand MTV Networks.

In 1983, Levinson was hired back to Viacom the following year as Director of Corporate Development where she pursued Viacom’s expansion through acquisition of several television, radio, and cable properties, including MTV Networks.

Levinson transitioned to Viacom Cable in 1980 and returned to Showtime four years later for a second stint as EVP of Business and Strategic Planning.

In 1980, Levinson was recruited internally away from Showtime to become Director Marketing Corporate for Viacom Cable. In 1982, she briefly left Viacom to serve as VP of Marketing at GW Satellite Communications, a newly-formed cable network group, responsible for the marketing and distribution of various cable networks.

Levinson initially joined Viacom in 1978 under its subsidiary, Showtime, a then two-year-old premium television network. She first served as Showtime’s Advertising and Promotion Manager before becoming Director of Marketing.

After graduating Columbia, Levinson worked as an Account Executive at Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB), an advertising firm in New York City, from 1976 to 1978.

In 1972, Levinson earned a Bachelor of Science from the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University. In 1976, she received a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School.

Sara Levinson (born 1950) is a former executive and American entrepreneur in the fields of entertainment, media, sports and technology. She was responsible for MTV’s global expansion and orchestrated the NFL’s outreach to women and kids. She is co-founder of the tech startup Katapult and serves on the board of Harley Davidson and Macy’s.