Tony Petitti, Chief Operating Officer of Major League Baseball is the 2017 New York Festivals Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

New York Festivals Television & Film Awards will honor Tony Petitti, Chief Operating Officer of Major League Baseball with the 2017 New York Festivals® Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mr. Petitti’s illustrious career will be honored at the New York Festivals Television & Film Awards gala on Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas. The organization is now in its 60th year of honoring the World’s Best TV & Films℠. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes prominent industry leaders whose accomplishments and contributions have advanced their field and made a lasting impression on the industry.

Mr. Petitti said: "I am extremely honored by this recognition from New York Festivals Television & Film Awards. It is humbling to be amongst the many accomplished individuals who have received this distinction. I have been fortunate to have worked with so many talented people throughout my career at ABC Sports, CBS Sports and Major League Baseball and consider this award to be a reflection of everything we were able to accomplish together."

Tony Petitti’s career path is the definition of excellence and for almost three decades he has been a top figure in the world of sports television serving in numerous leadership positions at major networks. He was appointed Chief Operating Officer of Major League Baseball by Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. on December 4, 2014, and as COO he oversees broadcasting, marketing, youth programs, scheduling, special events, international and other strategic endeavors aimed at growing the game.

Commissioner Manfred said: "Since 2008, Tony has been an outstanding executive within the Major League Baseball family and also one of our most respected individuals. He accomplished so much in sports television and we are fortunate to now have his leadership and creativity as our COO.  All of us at MLB congratulate Tony on this prestigious honor."

Prior to joining the Office of the Commissioner, Mr. Petitti was President & Chief Executive Officer of MLB Network (MLBN), where he oversaw all day-to-day operations. The record-setting launch of MLBN, which debuted on January 1, 2009 in 50 million cable and satellite homes, marked the largest in cable television history. Today, MLB Network is widely distributed in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Mr. Petitti has held a series of leadership positions at CBS Sports before joining the MLB Network. Previously he held the position of Executive Vice President and Executive Producer for CBS Sports, where he oversaw all daily operations, including production, personnel and editorial content. Petitti originally joined CBS Sports in February 1997 as Senior Vice President, Business Affairs and Programming. During his tenure he played a key role in negotiating contracts for continued coverage of the PGA Tour and the network's return to the NFL. Mr. Prior to joining CBS Sports, Mr. Petitti a served as Senior Vice President, Negotiations for NBC Sports.

Starting his broadcast television career with ABC in 1988 as Vice President, Programming for ABC Sports where he was responsible for the acquisition of college football regular season and bowl games, college basketball, the Little League World Series and NASCAR events. He is credited for creating the Bowl Championship Series to determine college football's national champion.

His early professional career began in the field of law before joining ABC Sports. Mr. Petitti, graduated from Haverford College with a degree in economics and from Harvard Law School. In May 2006, he was honored by Haverford with the prestigious Lawrence Forman Award, presented to a superior Haverford athlete who has devoted a significant portion of their energy to the betterment of society throughout his or her career.

The 2017 Television & Film Awards gala will take place at the annual NAB Show in Las Vegas on April 25th, 2017. New York Festivals Television & Film Awards will celebrate the 2017 World’s Best TV & Films, as well as, Broadcaster of the Year, Production Company of the Year, Program Promotion Team of the Year, and United Nations Department of Public Information Awards. For more information on NYF’s Television & Film Awards visit: www.newyorkfestivals.com/tvfilm/

This is the seventh year that NYF and their official partner, NAB Show, will present the competition to more than 103,000 media and entertainment professionals from 187 countries, including 1,608 industry press representatives, and over 1,800 exhibiting companies.

Entry details and competition rules and regulations can be found on the NYF Television & Film Awards website www.newyorkfestivals.com/tvfilm/. To view the complete list of categories click: HERE