Discovery appoints Arthur Bastings as President & MD, Asia Pacific

Bastings joins Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific from Millicom, where he was a member of the Executive Committee responsible for Africa and Financial Services

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | July 10, 2015

Arthur Bastings

Discovery Networks International (DNI) has named Arthur Bastings as the new head of the Asia-Pacific region, effective September 1, 2015. The announcement was made by Jean-Briac Perrette, President of DNI, to whom Bastings will report.

As President and Managing Director of Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (DNAP), Bastings will be responsible for setting the regional strategy and maximising the potential of DNAP's business and workforce to accelerate the company's expansion. He will be based out of the Singapore office.

Bastings joins DNAP from Millicom, an international telecommunications and media company, where he was a member of the Executive Committee responsible for Africa and Financial Services, focusing on mobile and information and communications technology convergence. He brings over 20 years of experience working in the TV and media business, including several years leading strategy and business development for Viacom across Asia. Bastings also previously spent six years as Executive Vice-President and Managing Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for Discovery.

“The Asia Pacific region encompasses two-thirds of the world's population and thus represents one of the biggest growth opportunities for our company. Arthur has a remarkable combination of experience in Asia, strong strategic thinking, and a proven track record of growth and building strong teams. His deep knowledge of Discovery and familiarity with the Asia market will give him a great headstart in accelerating DNAP's expansion,” said Perrette.

Since launching Discovery Channel in the region over 20 years ago, DNAP is now 15 channels strong. Backing its localisation strategy to deepen its connection and relevancy with audiences, DNAP opened new local offices this year in Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur and Manila, and continued the momentum with the appointment of a new country head in Korea.

Bastings' remit will include fortifying DNAP's sports offering and leading strategies in the region, in partnership with Peter Hutton, CEO of Eurosport.

Info@bestmediainfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com