Report: Facebook appoints Eurosport CEO

Facebook has reportedly appointed Eurosport CEO Peter Hutton as it looks to secure live sports rights.

Peter Hutton

The Guardian first reported that Facebook was poised to make the hire, with Variety confirming the move citing unnamed sources.

Variety reported that Hutton will be based in Silicon Valley, will focus on securing global sports rights and will report to Facebook’s head of global sports partnerships Dan Read.

Both the Guardian and Variety said the move would not take place until after the 2018 Winter Olympics, which will take place in Pyeongchang, South Korea next month.

Discovery recruited Peter Hutton to run Eurosport in January 2015. He joined from sports rights agency MP & Silva Group where he was co-CEO.

Before joining Eurosport he was he was part of Fox International Channels, driving the launch of their sports business outside the Americas, including the acquisition of Setanta Sports in Africa and ESPN/Star Sports in Asia.

The news comes after 21st Century Fox-owned Star India successfully outbid Facebook and a host of other rivals to secure global Indian cricket rights last September.

It also comes amid speculation that digital giants like Facebook and Amazon might look to bid for Premier League football in the upcoming auction for rights covering the 2019-2022 seasons.

Facebook declined to comment on the reports. Eurosport had not responded to a comment request at the time of going to press.