Andrew O'Connell Named VP of Development and Production at Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel US announced today that veteran TV executive Andrew O'Connell has been named Vice President of Development and Production. O'Connell will officially join the network on July 11, based in the United Kingdom, and report directly to Denise Contis, Executive Vice President of Production and Development for Discovery. In this new role, O'Connell will work closely with the UK production community tasked with generating the next factual format hits for the US network. He will also partner with Discovery Network International's Development and Production team.

"Andrew brings an incredible depth of experience and expertise that is a perfect fit for Discovery," Contis said. "He has developed strong relationships across the United Kingdom and worked on a wide range of successful programs. I'm incredibly excited to have him part of the team."

O'Connell joins Discovery from ITV where he was responsible for a wide range of factual programming since June 2014 including "Heathrow: Britain's Busiest Airport," "Sugar Free Farm," "Rookies," "Britain's Favourite Dogs" and "Life At The Extreme." Prior to ITV, he spent four years at Channel 5 as Head of News, Current Affairs and Factual and commissioned series including "Chris Tarrant's Extreme Railways," "Trauma Doctors," "World's Biggest Pets" and "Royal Navy: Caribbean Patrol." During his tenure at Sky 1 from 2005- 2009, he was responsible for the multi award-winning "Ross Kemp on Gangs" and "Ross Kemp in Afghanistan" series.

About Discovery Channel Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 224 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, Science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com

About Discovery Communications Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the leader in global entertainment reaching 3 billion cumulative viewers in more than 220 countries and territories. Discovery satisfies curiosity, entertains and inspires viewers with high-quality content through global brands, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Investigation Discovery, ANIMAL Planet, Science and Turbo/Velocity, as well as U.S. joint venture network OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and through the Discovery Digital Networks portfolio, including Seeker and SourceFed. Discovery owns Eurosport, the leading pan-regional sports entertainment destination across Europe and Asia-Pacific. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools, including an award-winning series of K-12 digital textbooks, through Discovery Education. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.