International media company Discovery Communications has appointed Ralph Rivera as managing director of the digital operation of its pan-regional sports broadcaster, Eurosport.
Rivera (pictured) will take up the new role on September 26 and will report to Michael Lang, executive vice-president of international development and digital for Discovery. He will also work closely with Eurosport chief executive Peter Hutton.
Rivera, who will be based in London, will be responsible for expanding Eurosport’s digital output, which comprises the Eurosport.com website and the Eurosport Player live and on-demand digital service.
Rivera joins Eurosport from UK public-service broadcaster the BBC, where he served as head of digital media services. Rivera was heavily involved in the development of the BBC’s on-demand iPlayer service.
He previously spent 10 years at US media company AOL, most recently serving as senior vice-president and managing director of games.
Hutton said: “Eurosport is focused on the further acquisition and delivery of locally relevant, premium sports content that will continue to attract more subscribers to the Eurosport Player. We continue to build momentum through the recent acquisition of premium rights such as Wimbledon across Europe and the Bundesliga in Germany.”