• June 3, 2008

Dave Morgan, founder of Real Media and TACODA, has become The Tennis Comp.'s chairman and partner, according to Bob Miller, president and CEO.

The Tennis Comp. owns TENNIS.com, TENNIS and SMASH Magazines, and partners in the Pacific Life Open and the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The Pacific Life Open is the world's fifth largest tennis tournament and the largest independent tournament in the world after the four Grand Slams. Morgan will be based in the company's New York City office.

"Bringing Dave on board signals our shift from being just a magazine company with a Web site to a true multi-platform sports enthusiast media company," Miller said. "TENNIS.com will no longer just be a site to complement our magazine. It will be the primary driver of our business and will lead us into a future that will be driven by digital video on a global basis always keeping tennis enthusiasts first."

Morgan, 44, founded TACODA in 2001 which became the world's largest and most advanced behavioral targeting advertising network. He served as CEO until he was promoted to Chairman in 2006. After the acquisition of TACODA by AOL in 2007 for $275 million, Morgan spent six months as AOL's EVP-global advertising strategy helping to develop its Platform A ad strategy. "Tennis is an underleveraged sport with amazing numbers. Enthusiasts are international, affluent, active, passionate, loyal and most importantly, are growing," Morgan said. "The Tennis Comp. has great assets ... (and) is poised for future growth with cross-platform delivery of premium branded content and digital media growth around the world."

--Tanya Irwin