Archive: 2014

New joint venture bringing together Endemol, Shine and CORE Media launches following completion of regulatory approval. The new business will initially operate under the name ‘Endemol Shine Group’

 Details were today announced regarding the new joint venture of 21st Century Fox and funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC bringing together Endemol, Shine and CORE Media, to create a global entertainment group with a portfolio of international hits including Masterchef, American Idol, Big Brother, Broadchurch, The Money Drop, Peaky Blinders, Grantchester, Deal or No Deal, Wipeout, The Biggest Loser, Black Mirror, Mr. Bean, So You Think You Can Dance, One Born Every Minute, The Fall, Man vs. Food and many more.

The joint venture, which has been formally completed following regulatory approval, will initially operate under the name Endemol Shine Group.

Having previously confirmed former BSkyB Managing Director of Content, Sophie Turner Laing as CEO and Endemol’s Tim Hincks as President, the new group is launching with a further round of announcements.

These include confirmation of senior team appointments at group level, charged with supporting Endemol Shine Group’s operations around the world.

Endemol’s Chief Financial Officer, Edwin van Es, will take up the same role within the new group. Shine’s Finance Director Tom Fussell will work with Van Es on transitioning Endemol’s and Shine’s finance functions before stepping down during the course of 2015.

Taking the role of Endemol Shine Group’s Group Commercial Officer is Boudewijn Beusmans, formerly Chief Legal and Business Affairs Officer at Endemol. Areas of the business that Beusmans will be responsible for overseeing include distribution and legal affairs.

Serving as the new joint venture’s Co-CEOs of International Operations are Shine’s Chairman, Northern Europe and Shine 360, Gary Carter and Endemol’s Chief Operating Officer Martha Brass. Carter will oversee operations in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Nordics, the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Central and Eastern Europe, the MENA region, Turkey and South Africa; whilst Brass’s remit will cover France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Australia, India, China, South-East Asia, Latin America and Israel.

Shine’s Director of Communications Patrick Keegan and Endemol’s Global Head of Public Relations Charlie Gardner have been appointed as Endemol Shine Group’s Co-Directors of Marketing and Communications, overseeing both areas for the new joint venture. Keegan will be based in London and Gardner will be relocating to Los Angeles in early 2015.

Endemol Shine Group also today confirmed its international sales and distribution structure with Shine International and Endemol Worldwide Distribution joining forces as one business. Cathy Payne, who is currently CEO of Endemol Worldwide Distribution, will serve as CEO of the newly integrated sales and distribution operation. Shine International CEO Nadine Nohr will work together with Payne on bringing the two distribution businesses together before stepping down.

“Shine International and Endemol Worldwide Distribution are both world-class operations and by uniting them we bring together two outstanding teams, an exceptional and diverse catalogue of programming across multiple genres, and a broader network of sales professionals embedded in markets around the world,” said Turner Laing.

The new group is in the process of determining the best way to bring together the operations of Endemol and Shine in markets where both currently operate and this will continue in the forthcoming months. The first markets to have completed this process are France and Germany.

In Germany, Endemol Germany Managing Director Marcus Wolter will lead the combined businesses of Endemol and Shine, as CEO of Endemol Shine Germany. Joining Wolter in the senior management team will be Shine Germany Deputy CEO Holger Rettler, who will become Director of ‘Show’, a new label within Endemol Shine Germany that will produce some of the new company’s biggest entertainment series. Axel Kuehn, CEO of Shine Germany, will leave the business after a period of transition in early 2015.

In France, Endemol’s and Shine’s operations will remain independently operated and run as separate entities, led by Endemol’s Nicolas Coppermann and Shine’s Thierry Lachkar, who will each continue in their role as CEO of their respective businesses.

These latest local market appointments follow the previous announcement that Endemol’s Charlie Corwin and Cris Abrego will serve as Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs of the new joint venture’s North American operations. As previously announced, Peter Hurwitz will serve as President of CORE Media and Scott Frosch will serve as Chief Financial Officer of CORE Media. CORE Media’s TV development team continues to be led by Jen O’Connell.

“We are proud to be launching Endemol Shine Group with an exceptional line up of talent in place from the outset,” said Sophie Turner Laing. “We can’t wait to hit the ground running in 2015 with a new group that will be home to some of the very best people and hit programming in the business; and which will deliver world class content to platforms across the globe.”

“By bringing together these businesses and launching Endemol Shine Group we’re assembling a bigger, broader pool of creative minds from all corners of the world,” said Tim Hincks. “We have a phenomenal roster of shows to build on and to have brilliant people in so many markets developing a new generation of hits is incredibly exciting. “

The new joint venture will begin formally operating as Endemol Shine Group on 1st January 2015 and will continue the process of integrating its operations around the world throughout the first half of 2015 when further announcements will follow.

Over the course of this period, Endemol’s and Shine’s London-based sales, distribution and group teams will be brought together into one location upon further space becoming available in the Shepherds Building where Endemol are currently based. Endemol Shine Group will be headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

“For the group and distribution teams of Endemol and Shine to be united they need to be able to work under the same roof as one, which we hope to be by the Spring of 2015.” said Turner Laing. “The rationale for the name is equally simple. By combining Endemol and Shine in alphabetical order we’re launching with a strong identity that says who we are and which will be recognised across the industry. We will review this as we work together and the group evolves over the first year.”

21st Century Fox and funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC will jointly manage Endemol Shine Group, with each owning 50 per cent. CORE Media will continue to retain its own capital structure within the new joint venture. Endemol Shine Group’s businesses will have creative operations in over 30 markets, with a diverse portfolio of over 600 revenue generating formats across scripted and non-scripted genres; coupled with digital, gaming, and distribution operations.

Shine Nordics is now launching MAG5 Content AB in Stockholm. MAG5 Content develops and produces moving pictures for platforms other than traditional TV with the aim of giving the public information, strengthening brands and driving sales.

With its strong base in the development and production of television programs for the major Nordic TV channels, MAG5 Content is in a unique position in a growing market and already has fantastic expertise with deep experience of production, branding and storytelling.

Magnus Wistam, with his extensive experience in the advertising industry, including his time as President and Account Manager at Grey (Ingo), McCann and RBC, becomes a partner and head of the new unit. Christer Åkerlund, the well-respected producer at Meter Television and Henric Uhrbom, production manager and formerly from STO-CPH Produktion and Mexico, are also joining the new company. Currently Mag5 Content has a team of ten.

MAG5 Content will collaborate with Shine Nordics other production companies, Meter Television, STO-CPH produktion, Friday TV and Filmlance International. For many years they have been major suppliers of scripted and non-scripted entertainment and strong brands to all Swedish TV channels and the new partnership offers unique opportunities for cross-fertilization of talent, ideas, successful television and new technical opportunities on a variety of additional platforms from a marketing, information and brand strategy viewpoint.

“The Nordic media landscape is facing major changes. We see how traditional advertising is losing ground. New digital platforms, creating new opportunities for professionally produced moving images and more and more brands as the senders of premium content in our own channels,” Magnus Wistam says.

“These are exciting times for us, telling stories with moving images. There are more and more technical platforms and new ways to express ourselves. The development has been going on for 15 years but it is only now that we are seriously looking to revolutionise its breakthrough,” added Christer Åkerlund.

MAG5 Content already started in the spring of this year, producing a factual series for Aftonbladet TV, one of the new on-line channels. The series “Konsumentdrevet” was shown successfully on Aftonbladet’s website. Prior to the election on September 14, MAG5 Content will be producing on-line material for the Green Party (Miljöpartiet).

During the past weekend the Swedish-Danish drama series Bron (2) won a Banff Rockie Award in Canada, and yesterday (June 8) the series takes home two awards at the prestigious Monte Carlo Television Festival. Firstly, Bron wins the award for Best European Drama TV Series, and Kim Bodnia wins in the category Outstanding Actor in a Drama TV Series. At the same festival, Norwegian Lilyhammer (2) wins for Best Comedy TV Series and Lead Actor Steven Van Zandt wins for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy TV Series.

“We are extremely proud and happy that the Norwegian production, Lilyhammer, wins two awards here in Monte Carlo. Just to be nominated alongside such solid candidates was a great honour,” says head of drama at Rubicon TV and executive producer for Lilyhammer, Anne Kolbjørnsen.

The Television Festival in Monte Carlo is one of the most influential TV-awards in Europe, and Lilyhammer was nominated alongside strong competitors like Modern Family and Mrs Brown’s Boys.

Bron was nominated alongside Downtown Abbey, House of Cards and Israeli Hostages. Kim Bodnia was nominated alongside with Kevin Spacey (House of Cards) and Torrance Coombs (Reign). Kim Bodnia is in Monte Carlo to receive the Golden Nymphs together with Lead Actress Sofia Helin.

“The latest prizes for Bron, against the sharpest competition, are a great proof that the series continues to capture an international audience. Now we are about to produce a third season which is at least as high class as the previous series,” says Christian Wikander, Head of Program at SVT Drama in Stockholm.

Bron has been sold to over 120 countries so far and season three begins filming this fall for broadcast in 2015. It is to consist of ten thrilling episodes where Saga Noren (Sofia Helin) faces both new challenges and new colleagues. The series is produced by Filmlance International and Nimbus Film together with SVT, DR, Film i Skåne, ZDF, NRK, Lumiere and Stiftelsen Ystad-Österlen Filmfond.

Lilyhammer has been sold to 130 countries, 178 territories and Rubicon TV are currently wrapping up season three which will be broadcast on NRK1 and Netflix in the fall/winter of 2014. In this series Frank and his crew will travel to new places and the cultural differences will become even more obvious when Norwegians go abroad. The series is produced by Rubicon TV in collaboration with Netflix and NRK, and with support from Norsk Filmfond.

Filmlance International (Stockholm) and Rubicon TV (Oslo) is both part of Shine Nordics.

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It was announced today that Metronome Film & Television AB, the Nordic region’s largest production group, is to change name to Shine Nordics AB.

The group that span Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway will operate under the new collective name from today.

Gary Carter, Chairman Northern Europe, Shine Group said: “The desire to change name came from the MD’s within the Metronome Group who unanimously felt that Shine Nordics is both simpler and more relevant to their business in 2014. Shine Nordics clarifies the relationship to the parent company and better reflects the companies’ role within a truly international production group.”

The companies as Metronome Film & Television AB originally joined Shine Group in 2009. All individual company names remain unaffected by the change.
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The Scandinavian production group Metronome, part of the Shine group, announced today that Marika Makaroff will be the new Managing Director of Friday TV AB in Sweden. She will take over from Simon Romanus who has operated as the company’s interim MD since May 2013.  Simon will resume his post as Head of Development with the company.

Marika Makaroff has over 17 years’ experience of working in the TV industry. She has a career in front of the camera as well as behind as both a successful developer, producer of drama and entertainment, and was most recently Managing Director of FremantleMedia in Finland. Marika Makaroff said: “I am very happy and excited to join the Shine Group and work with the extremely talented creative professionals of Friday TV. I am well aware of the impressive history that Friday TV has with its formats and it will be my privilege and joy to lead this accomplished company.” Gary Carter, Shine Group Chairman Northern Europe, said: “Marika Makaroff has an exemplary track record in the media industry. She is a rare combination of creativity, entrepreneurialism and leadership. I am so pleased that she has decided to accept the challenge of leading Friday TV during this next phase of the company’s life. Friday has distinguished itself as source of innovative formats in the Nordics and globally, and Marika has all the skills necessary to build on its international reputation. I am very happy to make this announcement.” Friday TV is a Swedish development company and during the last year our biggest export company of TV formats. During 2011 and 2012 ”Minute to win it” (”Minuten”) became he world’s bestsellingTV-format. ”Clash of the Choirs” (”Körslaget”) have been sold to 18 countries, including, as a great success, to China. Other formats from Friday TV, recently or under production in Sweden, is ”Single Moms” (”Ensam mamma söker”) and ”Last Chef Standing” (”Kockarnas Kamp”).