Coles to leave Discovery for ‘new adventure’

Dominic Coles is stepping down from his role as executive vice-president of strategic projects at international media and entertainment company Discovery Networks International.

Coles (pictured) said that he would “embark on a new adventure” in the autumn after a period of gardening leave. His final day at Discovery, which operates international sports broadcaster Eurosport, will be this Friday.

During his three years at Discovery, Coles negotiated the company’s first major Olympics sublicensing rights deal with UK public-service broadcaster the BBC and led the acquisition of rights for the Eliteserien, the top division of football in Norway.

“A talented dealmaker, Dom has played a major role in delivering ambitious sports-rights and commercial distribution deals,” said JB Perrette, president and chief executive of Discovery Networks International. “However, in a world of disruption, Dominic wants to continue disrupting himself and will be looking for a new challenge in a new environment after the summer.”