Mediawan, the independent European studio led by Pierre-Antoine Capton, co-founded by Capton, Xavier Niel and Matthieu Pigasse, has announced the signing of a deal to acquire The North Road Company, the independent US-based studio founded by Peter Chernin.

Mediawan said that, together, the two companies will have a stronger ability to accelerate the development of powerful IP, foster fresh creative synergies through format adaptations and co-production opportunities, and deliver greater value to viewers, talent and partners worldwide. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Together, Mediawan and North Road will operate nearly 100 individual production companies representing over $2 billion in annual production volume across 15 countries, including the US, the UK France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Australia, Mexico and Turkey supported by a global distribution footprint.

North Road will serve as Mediawan’s North American hub. North Road’s leadership teams, labels and creative partnerships will remain in place. Chernin will join the Board of Mediawan and will serve as Non-Executive Chairman of The North Road Company. Scott Manson will become CEO of The North Road Company. Jenno Topping will remain President of Chernin Entertainment. North Road’s media entities include: Chernin Entertainment, led by David Ready; Chernin Entertainment Television, led by Kaitlin Dahill and Tracey Cook; Kinetic Content, led by Chris Coelen; Worlds + Pictures, led by Connor Schell; North Road Television Studio, led by Amy Israel; Perro Azul in Mexico City and Karga Seven in Istanbul.

This acquisition follows Mediawan’s first North American investment in 2022, Plan B Entertainment, which will continue to operate with full global creative independence under the leadership of Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner.

The combined group is behind a number successful and award-winning titles including: Adolescence, Slow Horses (pictured), New Girl, One Day, HPI, Call My Agent!, Miraculous, Love Is Blind, Chief of War, Bad Boy, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and Who Killed Sara? as well as major feature films such as F1:The Movie, Ford v Ferrari, The Count of Monte Cristo, the Planet of the Apes franchise and L’Amour Ouf.

Capton commented: “Over the past decade, Mediawan has grown from a French independent studio into one of Europe’s leading global content groups. Our success is reflected in the strength of our IP and the ambition of our upcoming slate. With the addition of Peter’s exceptional creative teams, we believe we are creating the ideal global home for premium storytelling. Peter is one of the most respected builders in our industry, and it is a true privilege for us to partner with him and Jesse Jacobs, and the North Road team on this next chapter. As our industry consolidates, our goal is to reinforce Mediawan’s position as the leading independent platform for premium content and as a trusted partner to streaming platforms and all content distributors worldwide. We will continue this work with humility and agility, delivering the best possible content for our viewers and our partners worldwide.”

Chernin said: “I’ve spent my career trying to focus on where the creative and entertainment businesses are going. In the streaming era, the platforms have all become global buyers. It’s time for a global content company with leadership in geographies all over the world to maximize the potential of this new landscape. I’m thrilled to partner with Pierre-Antoine, who shares this global vision, and Mediawan to build this company.”

D’Arvieu said: “Bringing Mediawan and North Road together creates a uniquely powerful creative platform across all genres, scripted and unscripted, film and series, documentaries and animation. With talent and premium IP at the center, we have the scale to develop ambitious stories and build global franchises with the world’s leading creators, studios and platforms. This will allow accelerating co-productions, generating new synergies within the Group, creating a new bridge between the American and European industries.”

Manson added: “Combining with Mediawan provides us the scale and resources to compete at the highest level globally. We look forward to continuing to be a top supplier of content to our studio and streamer partners, while also leading the industry forward with new business models alongside Pierre-Antoine and our forward-thinking partners at Mediawan.”

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Tags: Adolescence, Mediawan, Slow Horses