Discovery Communications has hired former DirecTV and Kmart exec Paul Guyardo as chief commercial officer in order to better drive revenue “in an increasingly on-demand world.”

The veteran media and retail marketing exec will begin working in the newly created role on October 5 and oversee U.S. ad sales, digital media, licensing and consumer products, consumer insights and data analysis. He will report to president/CEO David Zaslav and be based out of Discovery’s New York headquarters.

Guyardo will focus on expanding the ways Discovery monetizes its portfolio – which includes Discovery Channel, TLC, Science Channel, ID and OWN – with distributors and advertisers as well as direct-to-consumer. He will also work with Discovery Networks International to grow the direct-to-consumer business globally and lead emerging revenue streams such as global licensing, consumer products and footage sales.

“Our go-forward success in a random-access world depends on how well we innovate and monetize our content and brands across platforms,” Zaslav explained in a statement. “Paul brings a track record of results in growing businesses and creating consumer-centric strategies to launch products, create new revenue streams and engage viewers. Adding him to the management team is a major win for Discovery, our business partners and our audiences, and I look forward to his leadership in creating new ways to drive value for our businesses across platforms now and into the future.”

Discovery’s president of ad sales Joseph Abruzzese will now report to Guyardo. He previously reported to Zaslav.

Guyardo spent 10 years as executive VP, chief revenue and marketing officer at DirecTV where he headed up sales, distribution, marketing, advertising, pricing and packaging, traditional ad sales, addressable and digital platforms, on-demand business, customer retention, product management, consumer reach, business analytics and other areas.

During his tenure, DirecTV’s annual U.S. revenue grew from US $12.2 billion to $26 billion and subscribers went up from 15 million to 20 million.

Prior to joining DirecTV, he served as Kmart’s chief marketing officer while the retailer was emerging from bankruptcy and worked as the executive VP of television and marketing for HSN.

The company also announced additional responsibilities for Bruce Campbell, who was named chief development, distribution and legal officer. He will head up Discovery’s domestic distribution business and the Discovery Education division. Bill Goodwyn, CEO of domestic content distribution and president and CEO of Discovery Education, will report to Campbell.