Discovery Taps Google Exec For D2C Streaming Push

Discovery has hired Google executive Neil Chugani as chief financial officer and head of strategy and operations for the media company’s direct-to-consumer business.

Discovery is in the process of developing a streaming service that aggregates content assets from across its brands. The goal, management has acknowledged, is to do this without undermining the company’s pay-TV distribution network.

Chugani had been with Google since 2015, most recently as CFO for the EMEA operations of Google and YouTube.

At Discovery, Chugani will work with Peter Faricy, CEO of global D2C, to formulate and implement the financial strategy to support the D2C team’s meeting Discovery’s growth objectives.

He will also work with all of Discovery’s D2C business units in the U.S. and international markets to establish consistent strategic, financial and operational practices.

Chugani will be based at Discovery’s London offices and report to Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels.

While at Google, Chugani helped double EMEA revenue, according to the Discovery announcement.

Previously, he has served as group CFO at BBC Worldwide, in senior positions at Sky, and as a technology and media banker at Goldman Sachs.

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