Discovery Channel president and general manager Clark Bunting will report to O'Neill, as will TLC COO Edward Sabin, who is serving as interim general manager of TLC.

The company also said promotion of Marjorie Kaplan to president, Animal Planet and Science Networks. Science Channel general manager Debbie Myers will report to Kaplan. Prior to TLC, Ms O'Neill oversaw the launch of Planet Green and served as general manager of Discovery Health.

Finally, Henry Schleiff, president and general manager of Investigation Discovery and Military Networks, will assume new responsibilities for Discovery's Emerging Networks, Planet Green and FitTV, with Laura Michalchyshyn, president and general manager, reporting to him while the company determines the creative strategy for these networks to realize their full growth potential in the future.

David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery Communications, said: “Ms O'Neill is a home-grown Discovery talent with a 21-year track record of success that is nothing short of astounding. Each network she led has been infused with creativity, innovation and content that breaks through the clutter of the television landscape.

“Most recently, her big, bold swings at TLC have transformed that network and driven it into the top 10 for women with an incredible 31 series averaging more than one million viewers in 2010. We're so proud and privileged to have Eileen at this company and I am confident her leadership will drive our biggest engines - Discovery Channel and TLC - to even greater success.”

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