Ralph Rivera has been appointed managing director of Eurosport Digital ©Discovery

BBC digital director Ralph Rivera has been appointed as managing director for Eurosport Digital as the company continue to strengthen their team in preparation for their broadcasting of the Olympic Games.

Rivera, who takes up the newly-created role having held his previous position with the BBC for six years, will work closely with Eurosport chief executive Peter Hutton and will report to Michael Lang, executive vice-president of international development and digital for Discovery Communications.

During his time with the BBC, he was responsible for all of the broadcaster’s digital services, including the BBC iPlayer, and performed a key role during the company’s coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Rivera will be tasked with leading the “aggressive expansion” of Eurosport’s various platforms, including Eurosport.com.

“Having enjoyed numerous successes with the BBC, my next move had to be big,” Rivera said.

“The opportunity I have in leading the digital business at Eurosport is an amazing challenge, and working closely with Discovery’s world-class teams at Eurosport and across local markets, I hope to build next generation digital sports products, ensuring Eurosport consumers across Europe can enjoy more action, when and where they choose to view it.”

Ralph Rivera performed a key role for the BBC during their coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games ©Getty Images
Ralph Rivera performed a key role for the BBC during their coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games ©Getty Images

Discovery penned a contract with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last June, which will see Pan-European television sports network Eurosport become the continent's Olympic broadcaster.

They will officially be able to use the Olympic Rings from January 1.

Hutton says he is looking forward to Rivera, who spent 10 years at AOL before joining the BBC, becoming part of the Eurosport team.

“Eurosport is focused on the further acquisition and delivery of locally relevant, premium sports content that will continue to attract more subscribers to the Eurosport Player,” he said.

“We continue to build momentum through the recent acquisition of premium rights such as Wimbledon across Europe and the Bundesliga in Germany.

“As we plan the enhanced delivery of these acquisitions and take ownership of the Olympic Rings from January 1, 2017, as the official multi-platform broadcast rights holder for Europe through 2024, we look forward to having Ralph as part of the Eurosport team.”