Mediawan

Last updated
Mediawan
Company type Private
ISIN FR0013247137  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Industry Entertainment
Predecessor
  • Makever Group
  • Lagardère Studios
Founded15 December 2015;8 years ago (2015-12-15), in Paris, France
Founders
Headquarters,
France
Key people
Revenue$1.3 billion [2]
Owner Kohlberg Kravis Roberts [3]
Divisions
  • Mediawan Finland
  • Mediawan Kids & Family
  • Mediawan Originals
  • Mediawan Pictures
  • Mediawan Rights
  • Mediawan Skyhigh
  • Mediawan Studios Spain
  • Mediawan Thematics
Subsidiaries See § Assets
Website www.mediawan.com

Mediawan is a French media conglomerate. [4] It was founded in December 2015 [5] by Xavier Niel (founder of Free), Matthieu Pigasse (general director of the bank Lazard and, with Xavier Niel, a major stock holder in Le Monde and L'Obs ) and Pierre-Antoine Capton (founder of the French media production company Troisième Œil Productions) under the legal form of a special-purpose acquisition company ("SPAC") with the purpose to acquire assets and operations in the media production and distribution business in Europe. [4] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Their ambition for the company was to become "one of the largest platforms for European content". [11] [9]

Contents

History

Mediawan was founded in December 2015 as an acquisition service, with the company's plan was to form an audiovisual international group through acquisitions across France and Europe in the entertainment or media industries.

The company went public on April 22, 2016, [8] raising €250 million ($310 million). [4]

In July 2016, Mediawan acquired CC&C, a film production company specializing in documentaries. [4]

In January 2017, Mediawan acquired AB Groupe for €270 million. Before that AB Groupe was owned by Claude Berda (53%) and TF1 Group (33.5%). [12] [4]

In December 2017, Mediawan had announced that they're in exclusive talks to acquiring a majority stake of Paris-based entertainment audiovisual and animation ON Kids & Family and their parent company ON Entertainment along with their film production house Chapter 2 and it's animation label Method Animation for about €50 million. [13] [14] One year later in June 2018, Mediawan announced that they had completed their acquisition of a majority stake in ON Entertainment and with their ON Kids & Family division along with their labels Chapter 2 and Method Animation, the acquisition marked Mediawan's first entry into the animation market. Mediawan then announced that due to their acquisition of ON Entertainment they're restructing their operations into 4 groups with the ON Entertainment joined Mediawan's portfolio and fully renamed under the ON Kids & Family after their division with Chapter 2 moving under Mediawan. [1]

In January 2018, Mediawan acquired the French television division of Luc Besson's EuropaCorp and renamed into Storia Television. [4] [15] [16]

On 11 October 2018, Mediawan rebranded AB Groupe as Mediawan Thematics. [17]

In January 2019, Mediawan announced their acquisition of a 53% stake in Italian producer Palomar, marking Mediawan's first acquisition outside of France. [18]

In October 2019, Mediawan announced that there buying a majority stake in French film production company Radar Films. [19]

On 22 June 2020, Mediawan annouched that their creation of a dedicated pan-European company named Mediawan Alliance buying a minority stake in Leonine Holding and announced that they've entered negotiations to buy Lagardère Studios from the Lagardère Group for €100 million that could further expand Mediawan's production portfolio. Mediawan also announced that they brought a majority stake in Spanish-based content production company Good Mood thrust expanding their Spanish operations. Mediawan's division Mediawan Alliance announced that they've in exclusive negotiations to buy the French hip-hop group Troisième Œil's audiovisual activities. [20] [21] Five months later on November 2 of that same year Mediawan announced that they've completed their acquisition of Lagardère Studios from the Lagardère Group along with their acquisition of the French hip-hop group Troisième Œil's audiovisual division, with the former being folded into Mediawan's expanded portfolio thrust turning Mediawan into a pan-European entertainment powerhouse. They also announced that they've taken a minority stake in Madrid-based Spanish production company Weekend Studio. [22] On November 11 of that same year following the acquisition of Lagardère Studios, Mediawan announced that they're forming a Spanish production hub based in Spain named Mediawan Studios Spain with their three Spanish production companies being placed in that new division. [23]

In July 2021, Mediawan announced that they formally renamed Mediawan Alliance as Mediawan & Leonine Studios with their joint acquisition of a majority stake in British-based drama producer Drama Republic. [24] Later in that same month Mediawan announced their acquisition of a majority stake in Chi-Fou-Mi Productions. [25]

On 30 October 2022, it was reported that Mediawan was in talks to acquiring in a significant stake Brad Pitt's studio Plan B Entertainment. [3]

In April 2023, Mediawan had announced that they brought a majority stake in Dutch-based animation production company Submarine. [26]

In July 2023, Mediawan announced their acquisition of a majority stake in French film production company 24 25 Films. [27]

On 16 January 2024, Mediawan announced they brought a majority stake in British-based documentary production company Misfits Entertainment, expanding Mediawan's factual output. [28]

In April 2024, Mediawan which already helded a 25% minority stake in Germany-based film distribution company Leonine Holding since 2020 announced that their taking full control of Leonine Holding by acquiring the remaining stakes in the company, also owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, in an all-stock deal, with pending subject to be approved from German authorities. [29]

In May 2024, Mediawan announced that they along with animation studio ZAG had teamed up to launch a new joint venture IP label named Miraculous Corp that will bring all of the compoments of the successful Miraculous franchise under one label with Mediawan holding a 60% stake in the new label placing it under their Mediawan Kids & Family division. [30]

Assets

Region/CountryUnits
Africa
  • Côte Ouest Audiovisuel
  • Keewu Production
Finland
  • Mediawan Finland
France
  • 24 25 Films
  • 909 Productions
  • Alauda Films
  • Anthracite Productions
  • Atlantique Productions
  • Aubes Productions
  • Auteurs Associés
  • Black Dynamite
  • Black Swan Tales
  • Blue Morning Pictures
  • Cameron's
  • CC&C
  • Chapter 2
  • Chi-Fou-Mi Productions
  • Dana Productions
  • DEMD Productions
  • Ego Productions
  • Electron Libre
  • Fit Production
  • Georgia
  • GMT Productions
  • IdFictions
  • Image & Compagnie
  • Imagissime
  • Making Prod
  • Mai Juin Productions
  • Maximal Productions
  • Merlin Productions
  • Mon Voisin Productions
  • Moonbow
  • Oberkampf Productions
  • Page 36
  • Païva Studio
  • Pink Lizard
  • Radar Films
  • Réservoir Prod
  • Scarlett Production
  • Septembre Productions
  • Storia Television
  • Story Nation Productions
  • Troisième Œil Productions
  • Troisième Œil Story
  • Velma Production
  • White Lion Films
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
  • Mediawan Skyhigh
  • Submarine
Spain
  • Boomerang TV
  • Good Mood
  • Veranda
  • Weekend Studio
United Kingdom
  • Drama Republic
  • Misfits Entertainment
  • Wildseed Studios
United States
International
  • LS Distribution
  • Mediawan Kids & Family
    • Mediawan Kids & Family Distribution
    • Method Animation
    • Somewhere Animation
    • Elliott Studio
    • Magical Society
    • Mediawan Kids & Family Cinema
    • Palomar Animation
    • Wildseed Studios
    • Submarine
    • Toon 2 Tango
  • Mediawan Rights
  • Miraculous Corp (60%)
  • Telmondis Distribution
Former/Defunct
  • Ango Productions
  • Frenchkiss Pictures
  • JPG Films
  • Résolution
  • Vema Production

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