Discovery Communications is preparing to displace its global headquarters from Silver Spring, Maryland, to New York City in 2019 as part of its strategy to take advantage of the proximity to business, investment and production partners in New York.
Search for the space and location in New York is underway, with an anticipated move to a new building by the second half of 2019. The company will bring together all current Discovery and, pending closing of the transaction, Scripps employees currently located across several different facilities in New York in a new global headquarters.
“With our talented workforce, diverse opportunities and unparalleled commitment to economic development, we have positioned New York at the forefront of the 21st-century economy,” said New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo. “Discovery’s decision to relocate their global headquarters to the Empire State is proof positive of that commitment, and we are proud to welcome one of the world’s leading media companies to help drive jobs and growth in New York.”
Contingent on the closing of its acquisition of Scripps Networks Interactive, Discovery also will establish a national operations headquarters at Scripps’ current campus in Knoxville, Tennessee. It will continue to house the major Scripps brands and creative digital teams along with corporate functions.
Discovery’s media distribution facility in Sterling, Virginia, will become a global technology center. Beyond Northern Virginia, the company also plans to have a technology footprint in Knoxville and maintain several other international locations to service its global technical operations.
“The media industry is rapidly evolving, increasingly global, more consumer-focused and more multiplatform and Discovery must evolve with it,” said David Zaslav, Discovery’s president and CEO.“The decision to move our global headquarters from its founding home is one we do not make lightly. We remain unwavering in our support of the Maryland and Greater Washington, DC area and we thank the leadership of the State of Maryland, Montgomery County and, most importantly, our employees for their cooperation and understanding as we make this important next step for the long-term success of Discovery.”
The company will maintain a Maryland network hub to house select network and support functions, as well as select other functions such as government relations that are based in the Metropolitan DC area.
