New Chief for Discovery Networks International

SILVER SPRING: Mark Hollinger has been named as the new president and CEO of Discovery Networks International, succeeding Greg Ricca.

Hollinger, DNI’s COO, takes over from Ricca after a transition period. He will continue as COO until a successor is named. A longtime Discovery executive, he has been with the company since 1991, when he joined as VP and deputy general counsel of Discovery Communications. Three years later he took on the post of acting general manager of Discovery Channel Asia in Hong Kong. He later returned to Discovery’s headquarters, overseeing business affairs, production management and serving as general counsel and executive VP of corporate operations. He was named COO in January 2008.

“Mark has been my most trusted partner at Discovery," said David Zaslav, the president and CEO of Discovery Communications. "He has been critical to building Discovery into the number one nonfiction media company and creating the best global footprint in all of media. Building strong brands and growing audience share around the world is one of our key growth opportunities, and Mark’s fluency in Discovery’s global business, strong leadership skills and vision to grow the business makes him the ideal executive to lead Discovery Networks International into the future.”