Discovery Communications & Eurosport Tap Execs for Olympics Coverage

LONDON/PARIS: Discovery Communications has announced several new appointments at Eurosport in order to better focus on Olympics coverage for the 2018-24 cycle.

The company’s Olympic Games leadership organization team will comprise five key functional areas. Jean-Thierry Augustin has been appointed as the president of sports development and Olympic commercialization, adding the Olympic Games to his current remit. Augustin will continue to report to JB Perrette, the president of Discovery Networks International. David Schafer, meanwhile, has been named senior VP of Olympic operations and planning, reporting to Eurosport CEO Peter Hutton. Schafer will be responsible for the planning and successful operation of Olympic Games coverage. He will lead the relationship with Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and oversee smooth execution on all linear and digital platforms across Europe.

Additionally, Géraldine Filiol will serve as VP of Olympic relations and project coordination. Also reporting to Hutton, Filiol will be responsible for the Olympic project coordination and managing external stakeholder relationships with sub licensees, the International Olympic Committee and the International Federations. Her existing role as Eurosport’s head of marketing, communications and external relations has been split into two roles. Meanwhile, leadership for engineering/technology and production has yet to be appointed.

Eurosport has also named new leaders for various functions. Fiona McLachlan joins Eurosport as VP of communications, with Sameer Pabari joining the company in the newly created role of VP of business development. Antonio Ruiz moves over from the Southern European arm of the business to become Eurosport’s VP of marketing and franchise management, also a newly created role.

In June, Discovery was awarded all TV and multiplatform broadcast rights for the 2018-24 Olympic Games across Europe.

“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 Perrette. “Since announcing the groundbreaking 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 organization.”

“These talented leaders will support our ambition for Eurosport to be the preferred destination for sports fans,” Hutton commented. “As we continue to invest in the programming, promotion and production values for Eurosport across all platforms, this team will deliver on our new brand promise to ‘Fuel Your Passion’ and immerse fans in the greatest sports moments.”