Grieve's departure date is being negotiated, although he is due to start a new job at pay-TV broadcaster the Travel Channel, where he will head commercial activity, on 16 March. Previously, Grieve worked for Scottish Media Group, now known as STV, where he was commercial and innovation director.
Chris Shaw, head of commercial controlling at Discovery, will fill in for Grieve while a replacement is found under the title consultant VP, commercial development EMEA/UK.
Sahar Elhabashi, chief operating officer for parent Discovery Networks International, is handling Brooke's responsibilities on an interim basis until a replacement is appointed.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that Discovery's next TV channel will be called Quest. The channel will occupy a coveted slot on the UK's biggest digital TV service, the digital terrestrial TV platform Freeview, after it struck a deal to license capacity from ITV-owned digital terrestrial multiplex operator SDN in October. It will draw upon its library of factual, entertainment and lifestyle programming and also include scripted acquisitions.
Discovery declined to comment on the channel name.
Discovery's UK commercial operation could change further this year with the contract to sell its airtime, currently with Sky Media, expected to be put out to tender in the next few weeks. The Sky Media contract expires in 2010.
Channel 4, Five and IDS are all said to have expressed interest in the contract.
A Discovery spokesman said: "We are in active discussions with a number of parties, but we don't comment on market speculation."
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