TV EXEC JOINS PREMIER LEAGUE
The English Premier League has hired Discovery broadcasting executive Susanna Dinnage to succeed Richard Scudamore in running the world’s richest soccer competition. Dinnage will leave her role as global president of Discovery’s Animal Planet brand to become chief executive of England’s top-flight soccer league in early 2019. “I am excited at the prospect of taking on this fantastic role. The Premier League means so much to so many people,” Dinnage said. Scudamore was CEO from 1999 to 2014, when he was promoted to executive chairman. The new structure will see the league have a separate CEO and chairman, but the latter position has yet to be filled. The appointment of Dinnage highlights the league’s focus on broadcasting, as most of its revenue comes from selling TV rights. Scudamore has overseen the value of those rights soar to more than $10 billion.