Discovery Int’l Names New President

JB Perrette has been named as the next president of Discovery Networks International following the resignation of 23-year Discovery veteran Mark Hollinger.

Perrette will oversee the company’s international business with current regional and functional leaders reporting in to him.

Since joining Discovery in October 2011, Perrette has built best-in-class digital and technology organizations helping to establish Discovery’s presence in the digital media field. Sean Atkins will serve as the acting head of Discovery’s digital business as the company searches for its next chief digital officer.

“JB is one of the smartest and most versatile executives I have worked with in the media business,” says David Zaslav, president and chief executive officer, Discovery Communications. “Since his time at NBC as a leader in business development, distribution and digital to all the success and value he has built at Discovery, JB has it all–strong strategic vision, operational expertise and exceptional team-building skills. This is a demanding role like no other, which I believe requires a corporate executive with a broad background to oversee all aspects of the business across 220 countries. Having spent half his career internationally, and with a unique mix of distribution, digital, strategy and business development experience, JB is the perfect fit to lead Discovery's international operations.”

Prior to joining Discovery, Perrette spent 11 years with NBCUniversal, where he most recently served as president of digital and affiliate distribution and content distribution strategy, leading the North American distribution of television and film content across various platforms. He also helped launch the digital channels Sleuth (now Cloo), Chiller and Universal HD and played a leadership role in developing Hulu. Before joining NBC in 2000, Perrette was a member of General Electric’s top leadership development program based in London, and at CS First Boston in London and Tokyo.

“Discovery’s regional leaders are simply the best global operating team in all of media,” says Perrette. “Through strong organic growth as well as selective strategic acquisitions and partnerships, Mark and the team have built Discovery Networks International's unrivaled footprint with powerful brands that are valued by viewers, advertisers and distribution partners around the world. I look forward to working closely with the world-class DNI team and fantastic collaborators as we capitalize on that momentum and chart the next phase of growth for Discovery.”