Discovery ropes in Arthur Bastings as president and MD, APAC

Based out of Singapore, he will report to Jean-Briac Perrette, president of Discovery Networks International.

Discovery Networks International (DNI) has appointed Arthur Bastings as head of the Asia-Pacific region, effective September 1. He will report to Jean-Briac Perrette, president of DNI.

In his new role, Bastings is 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.

Perrette comments, "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 head start in accelerating DNAP's expansion."

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, focussing on mobile and information, and communications technology convergence. He brings over 20 years of experience in the TV and media business, including several years leading strategy and business development for Viacom, across Asia.

Previously, he also spent six years as executive vice president and managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for Discovery.

Since launching Discovery Channel in the region over 20 years ago, DNAP is now 15 channels strong. DNAP is committed to continue investing and building its scale and market share in Asia Pacific, a key region for Discovery's international business. Backing its localisation strategy to deepen its connection and relevance with audiences, DNAP opened new local offices this year in Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur and Manila.

According to the company, it also stepped up its game by securing exclusive rights to the UEFA Champions League and Europa League in Singapore, and recently Setanta Sports Asia. Bastings' remit will include fortifying DNAP's sports offering and leading strategies in the region, in partnership with Peter Hutton, CEO of Eurosport.