AMAR MELWANI Q&A

Can you tell us about yourself and your career so far?
Well to go back to the very start, my grandparents emigrated from India during the partition, with whatever they could carry. Their search for a new home, resulted in my father being born in Morocco and my mother in Singapore, and I was born in a small town in the Canary Islands (Spain). To add to this mix, I now live in London, married to an American who was born in Kuwait! My background has enabled me to adapt to diverse situations and embrace different points of view, something I reflect a lot about in the current environment.

On a professional level, I’ve had the opportunity to work for some amazing companies, collecting great friends and mentors along the way. I started off in consulting, and after a few years, joined Sky. It was fascinating to work for a company that was trying to reinvent itself, in the midst of an industry that was being completely disrupted.

I’ve since held roles within the Walt Disney Company, including at ESPN and most recently with Disney+. On joining Discovery and Eurosport, it’s clear we are at a pivotal time for the business as we transform how we reach and engage our audiences around the world.

What made Discovery and Eurosport stand out for you?
I was really impressed with Eurosport’s leadership team and the culture they are shaping.  Working with talented people with an ambitious mindset, combined with the business’ commitment to direct-to-consumer, was both a great opportunity and a compelling challenge.

Discovery’s commitment to sports and its established global presence combined with its deep local expertise make it a unique platform to offer sports fans the content they love.

This also gives us a great opportunity to partner with sports federations to help them grow and engage their fanbase.

What will be your priorities in your new role?
It is early days and joining during a global pandemic has been somewhat surreal, but I am focused on two objectives.

Firstly, working with our digital and rights acquisition teams to continue to strengthen and optimise the portfolio of rights that power our industry-leading direct-to-consumer business.

Secondly, making our services even more broadly available, so we are accessible to sports fans, on any device they want to watch on.

In short, I want to make the most engaging content available to the greatest number of fans. And with a world-class editorial team in place, we’ll deliver this content in the most compelling way.

How do you see the future of watching sport?
It I think it is all about engagement. Anyone who is a sports fan needs to feel connected to their teams. That is our job, to fuel their passion.

We are working on creating a personalised experience for each and every sports fan. A single destination that can super-serve their needs, from their team’s breaking news to watching some of the biggest events on the planet.

What do you think about the current return to live sport?
Like many others, I think about two things. The first is safety. Athletes, teams, support staff all need to feel safe, in order to go out there and perform. It has been amazing to see how the leagues, federations and event organisers are creating innovative solutions that provide safe environments for sport to return. 

The second is the fans. Once you look after all the people involved in creating the show, the focus is on providing the best possible experience for fans. I’m looking forward to seeing what great ideas our content teams come up with.

Can you share some of your favourite sporting moments?
My favourite sporting moment has to be Spain winning the World Cup; that was amazing. It was at a time when Spain, like the rest of the world, was going through a huge financial crisis, and this lifted everybody up. Yes, I will never forget that Iniesta goal…