Media and entertainment company Discovery Communications, the parent company of international sports broadcaster Eurosport, has announced a number of new appointments to support the exploitation of rights for the Olympic Games.
In June, Discovery and Eurosport acquired rights in 50 European markets for four editions of the Olympic Games, from 2018 to 2024. In October, Discovery took full control of Eurosport after French commercial broadcaster TF1 confirmed the sale of its 49-per-cent stake in the sports broadcaster.
Under the changes, the company’s Olympic Games leadership team will cover five key functional areas, with Jean-Thierry Augustin serving as head of commercialisation, David Schafer as head of operations and planning, and Géraldine Filiol leading Olympic relations and coordination. Executives are yet to be appointed to the engineering and technology role as well as production.
At Eurosport, Sameer Pabari has been appointed to spearhead business development, while Antonio Ruiz will lead marketing and Fiona McLachlan will head up communications.
“Discovery is committed to elevating the excitement and engagement in the Olympic Games through our world-class storytelling, local market expertise, and Eurosport’s heritage of connecting fans with key Olympic sports all year long,” said JB Perrette, president of Discovery Networks International. “Since announcing the ground-breaking deal this summer, we already have selected three of five Olympic leadership roles, aligning our structure to ensure we have the best in class talent — both on the screen and within our organisation.”