New Eurosport CEO, President of Sports Strategy & Development at DNI

LONDON: Jean-Thierry Augustin has been appointed to the newly created position of president of sports strategy and development at Discovery Networks International (DNI), while Peter Hutton has been tapped as CEO of Eurosport.

Augustin, who previously held the position of CEO at Eurosport, will report directly to JB Perrette, the president of Discovery Networks International, and continue to be based in Paris. He will work closely with Discovery’s international leadership team and Hutton to create a compelling sports business development strategy.

Hutton joins Eurosport from MP & Silva Group, where he held the post of co-CEO. As chief executive of Eurosport, Hutton will oversee the negotiation of sports rights and lead Eurosport’s content strategy to bring renewed focus to programming, production, promotion and platforms. Hutton also will report to Perrette and will be based in Paris, with a start date of March 1.

Perrette said, “As we approach the one year anniversary of Discovery’s acquisition of Eurosport in May, our focus is now on unlocking the full value of our must-have sports content for the entire Discovery Communications portfolio to benefit our advertisers, affiliates, audiences and shareholders around the world.”
 
Perrette continued, “Jean-Thierry has been at the helm of Eurosport for a number of years during which he has proved to be a tremendous commercial leader and this new role will harness his expertise to build Discovery’s global sports strategy and expertise. Similarly, Peter has excelled in the sports media business. With extensive experience in Europe, Asia and Middle East, and strong relationships with broadcasters and rights holders, he is the perfect executive to strengthen Eurosport’s position as a global leader in sports. I am excited to work with both Jean-Thierry and Peter as we take our business to an exciting new level.”