Discovery poaches Amazon exec for new D2C role

Peter Faricy has been appointed to the newly-created role of chief executive of global direct-to-consumer at Discovery, with responsibility for overseeing the media company’s digital portfolio, including Eurosport Player.

In his role, Faricy will also oversee Discovery’s strategic alliance with golf’s PGA Tour and other direct-to-consumer entertainment services, such as GO TV Everywhere, Motor Trend, Discovery Kids and Dplay.

Faricy will report to Discovery president and chief executive David Zaslav. JB Perrette, president and chief executive of Discovery Networks International, will continue to lead the Eurosport business and will “work together with Faricy on direct-to-consumer product rollouts across international markets”, Discovery added.

Faricy will start his role at Discovery on September 17.

He will join the company from online ecommerce giant Amazon, where he led the growth of the Amazon Marketplace third-party seller business. He previously led Amazon’s music and movies divisions.