Discovery Communications has appointed Ralph Rivera to the newly created position of MD, Eurosport Digital.
He will begin the role on September 26, based in London, and report to Michael Lang, executive VP of international development & digital for Discovery Communications, as well as work closely with Peter Hutton, CEO of Eurosport, and his leadership team.
Rivera joins from the BBC, where he spent six years as director, BBC Digital and was responsible for all of the BBC’s digital media services, leading on the implementation and operation of BBC iPlayer. Prior to the BBC, he spent ten years at AOL, most recently as senior VP and MD of Games.
Commenting on the appointment, Lang said: “Recognised as one of the most forward-thinking digital executives in the world, Ralph brings extensive knowledge in the direct-to-consumer space, with a deep understanding of the digital landscape in Europe and a strong reputation for innovation and transformation. His product-centric mind set and technology orientation will help us to grow Eurosport Digital, which is one of Discovery’s top priorities, as we continue our march to making sports and all of our content accessible to viewers across all screens, in a highly meaningful and profitable way.”
Hutton added: “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. As we plan the enhanced delivery of these acquisitions and take ownership of the Olympic Rings from January 1, 2017, as the official multi-platform broadcast rights holder for Europe through 2024, we look forward to having Ralph as part of the Eurosport team.”
Rivera said: “Having enjoyed numerous successes with the BBC, my next move had to be big. The opportunity I have in leading the digital business at Eurosport is an amazing challenge, and working closely with Discovery’s world-class teams at Eurosport and across local markets, I hope to build next generation digital sports products, ensuring Eurosport consumers across Europe can enjoy more action, when and where they choose to view it.”
The Eurosport Player launched in 2008 under the management of TF1.
