Discovery Unveils Pair of New Appointments

Discovery, Inc. has named Michele Barney its new president of affiliate distribution and appointed Eric Phillips to the newly created role of president of global distribution strategy.

In her new role, Barney will be responsible for the strategic oversight and distribution of Discovery’s network portfolio and content in the U.S. and Canada, managing Discovery’s carriage with cable, satellite, telco and digital distributors. Barney, who comes to Discovery from AT&T, reports to Bruce Campbell, chief development, distribution and legal officer for Discovery, Inc., and succeeds Phillips in the post.

In his new role as president of global distribution strategy, Phillips will lead the strategy, approach and relationship management for global digital platforms, with a focus on direct-to-consumer partnerships for discovery+ and other digital initiatives. Phillips, who has served as president of affiliate distribution since 2013, will continue to report to Campbell and will work closely with JB Perrette, president and CEO of Discovery International, and the international leadership team.

Phillips will help drive enhanced alignment across global distribution leads and support the company’s overall commercial partnerships’ strategy. He will chair a global distribution and partnerships network at Discovery to create best practices for distribution teams, provide guidance and help cultivate a culture that assures effective global teamwork as traditional and emerging digital platform partnerships continue to grow globally.

Campbell said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Michele to Discovery. As a longtime partner to this company, I have admired Michele’s business acumen and ability to get a deal to the finish line. She is principled, transparent and fair. We are thrilled that she will lead our distribution team, especially at this time of industry transformation, to ensure that our powerful brand portfolio reaches the widest audience possible across all platforms.”

Campbell added: “Eric is an outstanding executive who has contributed enormously to Discovery’s growth into one of the most formidable TV brand portfolios among distributors. In his new role, Eric’s leadership will be key as our company accelerates its pivot to DTC while seizing opportunities to further scale our reach globally.”

Barney said: “I have long admired Discovery, its beloved brands and the unparalleled network portfolio the company has built and nourished. I look forward to working closely with Brue and Discovery’s other talented leaders and I’m honored to lead a distribution team that is one of the best in the business. Discovery’s brands and content have never been more core to the traditional bundle or created more value for partners, and I am thrilled to do my part to drive the next leg of this amazing growth story.”

Perrette said: “Eric has unparalleled commercial partnership experience, and we will greatly benefit from having his vision and deal-making insights helping our international teams and growth.”