Michael O’Brien is a seasoned media executive with more than 28 years of experience driving sales, operations, and business development across the broadcast and advertising ecosystem. He currently serves as CEO of National Media. Prior, as Senior Vice President and Chief Distribution Officer at E.W. Scripps, he oversaw a $750 million revenue portfolio spanning 40 markets and led direct negotiations with major networks and distributors representing $1.4 billion in enterprise value.

During his tenure, he grew carriage agreement revenue 2.4x—from $300 million to $715 million—and negotiated agreements with more than 150 distributors, including all four major broadcast networks. He also built an industry-first political ad sales unit that generated more than $1 billion in revenue.

He is known for his unparalleled vendor relationships with media owners that unlock premium inventory others can’t access, deep expertise navigating complex media landscapes, and a rare operational perspective from both the buy and sell sides of the business.