Fremantle To Acquire Twelve Production Labels From Nent Studios
Fremantle is significantly expanding its footprint in the Scandinavian market. The RTL Group subsidiary is acquiring a total of twelve production companies from Nordic Entertainment Group. The companies are based in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. They are active in the genres of entertainment, series and films, as well as documentaries.
Fremantle is significantly expanding its position in the Scandinavian market with a landmark move. RTL Group’s production arm is acquiring a total of twelve production companies from the Nordic Entertainment Group (Nent). The companies are based in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark and are active in the entertainment, series, film and documentary genres. In addition, the companies are also active in the field of “branded content,” a form of marketing in which content is associated with specific brands, and in event management. The acquisitions are still subject to the approval of the antitrust authorities, and are expected to be completed later this year.
Specifically, Fremantle is acquiring the Nent labels Strong Productions (Denmark), Grillifilms, Moskito Television, and Production House (Finland), Monster, Novemberfilm, One Big Happy Family, Playroom, Rakett, and Strix TV (Norway), as well as Baluba and Strix Television (Sweden). The production companies’ award-winning formats also include the internationally successful reality format “The Farm,” which is already aired in some 50 countries and regions worldwide and continues to generate record-breaking ratings in Scandinavia. Fremantle already produces content under its own name and through its subsidiaries Miso Film and Blue in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. Miso Film is responsible for hit films and series including “The Investigation,” “The Rain” and “Those Who Kill.” Blue produces well-known entertainment formats such as “X Factor” and “Farmer Seeking Love.”
Fremantle CEO Jennifer Mullin said: “This is an exciting opportunity both to grow our presence in the Nordics and embrace a wealth of exceptional new talent into the Fremantle family. Nordic IP is hugely successful internationally, and with our ability to amplify distribution on a global level, I am confident we will be able to take the great content produced by these labels to an even wider audience.” Gabriel Catrina, NENT Group EVP & Chief Financial Officer, said: “We are confident that Fremantle’s global reach will create many opportunities for these fine businesses.”
