Pete Liguori, Chief Operating Officer of Discovery Communications, has decided to leave his job at the end of the year, the company announced on Wednesday.

Liguori, the former Fox Chairman and CEO of FX Networks, joined Discovery in December of 2009.

"It has been a privilege to have contributed to Discovery's mission and to have helped so many networks and brands grow their ambition and accelerate their creative momentum," Liguori said in a statement. "My best to all the wonderful members of the Senior Management team and, in particular, to the employees at all levels of the organization who come in every day thinking of the new idea, the story that hasn't been told yet."

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He oversaw the launch of joint ventures like The Hub and the Oprah Winfrey Network -- additions to a company that already had the Disocvery Channel, The Learning Channel and other properties.

Discovery said that the position of COO will be eliminated at the company moving forward.