France’s Mediawan has acquired German group Leonine Studios.
The all-stock transaction creates a European-based production and distribution group with a presence across 13 countries, 85 labels and revenues over €1bn. The financial terms of the deal were not revealed.
Paris-based Mediawan has had a 25% stake in Munich-based Leonine since 2020, and both groups are backed by US private equity firm Kkr. Mediawan was reported to be weighing an acquisition of Leonine back in November 2023.
For Mediawan the deal bolsters its European footprint with the addition of the German-speaking market.
Mediawan CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton will continue to lead the group while Leonine CEO...
The all-stock transaction creates a European-based production and distribution group with a presence across 13 countries, 85 labels and revenues over €1bn. The financial terms of the deal were not revealed.
Paris-based Mediawan has had a 25% stake in Munich-based Leonine since 2020, and both groups are backed by US private equity firm Kkr. Mediawan was reported to be weighing an acquisition of Leonine back in November 2023.
For Mediawan the deal bolsters its European footprint with the addition of the German-speaking market.
Mediawan CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton will continue to lead the group while Leonine CEO...
- 4/29/2024
- ScreenDaily
France’s Mediawan has acquired Germany’s Leonine Studios.
The deal, financial terms of which were not revealed, has been bubbling since November last year. Call My Agent maker Mediawan has owned a 25% stake in the business since 2020.
The all-stock deal will see the two companies move even closer together and forms a major European indie studio with 85 labels operating across 13 countries and revenues of more than €1B ($1.1B).
Leonine was founded in 2019 by Fred Kogel with financial support from Kkr — a Mediawan backer — and Atwater Capital through acquiring and merging Tmg, Universum Film, i&u TV and Wiedemann & Berg Film, and then W&b Television, Seo Entertainment, Hyperbole, BeetzBros Film Production and Toon2Tango.
Productions from within the group include The Lives of Others, School of Magical Animals, Dark, The Gryphon, Crooks, Juan Carlos – Downfall of The King, and The Cleaners. It also has certain rights to blockbuster titles such as the John Wick franchise,...
The deal, financial terms of which were not revealed, has been bubbling since November last year. Call My Agent maker Mediawan has owned a 25% stake in the business since 2020.
The all-stock deal will see the two companies move even closer together and forms a major European indie studio with 85 labels operating across 13 countries and revenues of more than €1B ($1.1B).
Leonine was founded in 2019 by Fred Kogel with financial support from Kkr — a Mediawan backer — and Atwater Capital through acquiring and merging Tmg, Universum Film, i&u TV and Wiedemann & Berg Film, and then W&b Television, Seo Entertainment, Hyperbole, BeetzBros Film Production and Toon2Tango.
Productions from within the group include The Lives of Others, School of Magical Animals, Dark, The Gryphon, Crooks, Juan Carlos – Downfall of The King, and The Cleaners. It also has certain rights to blockbuster titles such as the John Wick franchise,...
- 4/28/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
European powerhouse Mediawan has acquired Leonine, a leading production and distribution group active in German-speaking markets.
With the acquisition of Leonine, Mediawan will boast a portfolio of 85 labels, a catalogue spanning 30,000 hours of premium content and revenues exceeding €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion). Mediawan’s worth is now believed to be in the $2-billion range. The deal is an all-stock transaction; both companies have the same shareholder, the U.S. private equity fund Kkr whose stake in Mediawan will still be below 50%, according to a source close to the company.
Mediawan now has a significant footprint in all major European markets, including German-speaking territories which represent the continent’s second largest TV market. The pact positions Mediawan as one of the world’s biggest super indies with a large proportion of scripted business across prestige series and movies. Mediawan now spans 13 countries including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, Benelux and the U.K.
With the acquisition of Leonine, Mediawan will boast a portfolio of 85 labels, a catalogue spanning 30,000 hours of premium content and revenues exceeding €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion). Mediawan’s worth is now believed to be in the $2-billion range. The deal is an all-stock transaction; both companies have the same shareholder, the U.S. private equity fund Kkr whose stake in Mediawan will still be below 50%, according to a source close to the company.
Mediawan now has a significant footprint in all major European markets, including German-speaking territories which represent the continent’s second largest TV market. The pact positions Mediawan as one of the world’s biggest super indies with a large proportion of scripted business across prestige series and movies. Mediawan now spans 13 countries including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, Benelux and the U.K.
- 4/28/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Newen Studios has partnered with Berlin-based Flare Film to set up Spark Studios, an umbrella banner which will bundle its German production activities. The new banner will be headed by Flare Film chief Martin Heisler and Eva Kemme, who will be co-CEOs.
As its first acquisition, Spark Studios has purchased a majority stake in Dog Haus, a production company based in Berlin and Munich with credits including the series “The Gryphon,” which was ordered by Amazon Prime.
Dog Haus was created in 2021 by producer André Zoch, scriptwriter Erol Yesilkaya and director Sebastian Marka. Together, the trio has written and produced numerous crime dramas, including “Tatort” and “Exit” for Ard. The three founders serve as managing and creative directors for the company.
“Dog Haus is a production label for creatives who aspire to tell exceptional stories. We aim to consistently produce television, multimedia, cinematic films and series with the highest artistic standards and thematic relevance,...
As its first acquisition, Spark Studios has purchased a majority stake in Dog Haus, a production company based in Berlin and Munich with credits including the series “The Gryphon,” which was ordered by Amazon Prime.
Dog Haus was created in 2021 by producer André Zoch, scriptwriter Erol Yesilkaya and director Sebastian Marka. Together, the trio has written and produced numerous crime dramas, including “Tatort” and “Exit” for Ard. The three founders serve as managing and creative directors for the company.
“Dog Haus is a production label for creatives who aspire to tell exceptional stories. We aim to consistently produce television, multimedia, cinematic films and series with the highest artistic standards and thematic relevance,...
- 2/5/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Newen Studios Buys ‘The Gryphon’ Producer & Consolidates In Germany
Newen Studios has made a big play in Germany, taking a majority stake in Amazon Prime Video’s The Gryphon producer Dog Haus and consolidating its activities under a new outfit, Spark Studios. Spark will be run by CEOs Martin Heisler and Eva Kemme, who previously oversaw Flare Film, which Newen acquired in 2021. Dog Haus is Spark’s first acquisition. Launched in 2021 by André Zoch, Erol Yesilkaya, and Sebastian Marka, Dog Haus was behind The Gryphon, an adaptation of Wolfgang Hohlbein‘s book series with W&b TV and one of Amazon’s biggest budget European originals since it started making TV outside of the U.S. The founders had previously been behind big German shows such as Tatort and Exit. Newen said Spark will “bring together the best audiovisual talents in Germany.” “We are delighted that Sebastian, Erol, and André...
Newen Studios has made a big play in Germany, taking a majority stake in Amazon Prime Video’s The Gryphon producer Dog Haus and consolidating its activities under a new outfit, Spark Studios. Spark will be run by CEOs Martin Heisler and Eva Kemme, who previously oversaw Flare Film, which Newen acquired in 2021. Dog Haus is Spark’s first acquisition. Launched in 2021 by André Zoch, Erol Yesilkaya, and Sebastian Marka, Dog Haus was behind The Gryphon, an adaptation of Wolfgang Hohlbein‘s book series with W&b TV and one of Amazon’s biggest budget European originals since it started making TV outside of the U.S. The founders had previously been behind big German shows such as Tatort and Exit. Newen said Spark will “bring together the best audiovisual talents in Germany.” “We are delighted that Sebastian, Erol, and André...
- 2/5/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Apple TV+ has set its first German-language series, “Where’s Wanda?”
“Where’s Wanda?” tells the story of a couple desperate to find their missing daughter. After months of waiting for the police to track her down, Dedo and Carlotta Klatt finally take matters into their own hands. With the help of their tech-savvy son Ole, the family bug their local neighbourhood – which is when they begin to realize that their neighbors are hiding more than they realized.
Produced by Fremantle-owned UFA Fiction, the dark comedy stars Heike Makatsch (“Love Actually”) as Carlotta and Axel Stein (“The Vault”) as Dedo. Lea Drinda (“The Gryphon”) stars as 17-year-old Wanda while newcomer Leo Simon plays Ole.
Rounding out the cast are Palina Rojinski (“Welcome to Germany”), Nikeata Thompson (“How to Dad”), Devid Striesow (“All Quiet on the Western Front”), Joachim Król (“The Most Desired Man”), Jasmin Shakeri (“The Magic Flute”) and...
“Where’s Wanda?” tells the story of a couple desperate to find their missing daughter. After months of waiting for the police to track her down, Dedo and Carlotta Klatt finally take matters into their own hands. With the help of their tech-savvy son Ole, the family bug their local neighbourhood – which is when they begin to realize that their neighbors are hiding more than they realized.
Produced by Fremantle-owned UFA Fiction, the dark comedy stars Heike Makatsch (“Love Actually”) as Carlotta and Axel Stein (“The Vault”) as Dedo. Lea Drinda (“The Gryphon”) stars as 17-year-old Wanda while newcomer Leo Simon plays Ole.
Rounding out the cast are Palina Rojinski (“Welcome to Germany”), Nikeata Thompson (“How to Dad”), Devid Striesow (“All Quiet on the Western Front”), Joachim Król (“The Most Desired Man”), Jasmin Shakeri (“The Magic Flute”) and...
- 9/7/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Apple TV+ has greenlit its first project out of Germany.
Darkly comic TV series Where’s Wanda? answers the question of how far a person would go to save their child. Produced by Fremantle-backed Moonage Daydream-maker UFA Fiction, Where’s Wanda? tells the story of Dedo (Axel Stein) and Carlotta Klatt (Heike Makatsch), who are desperate to locate their missing daughter months after her disappearance. When the police fail to find her, they take matters into their own hands and discover that behind closed doors, none of their neighbors are who they pretend to be.
Where’s Wanda features an ensemble German cast including multiple award-winning actress Lea Drinda (The Gryphon), newcomer Leo Simon, presenter and actress Palina Rojinski (Welcome to Germany) and entrepreneur, actress and author Nikeata Thompson (How to Dad). It is directed by Christian Ditter (How to be Single) and Tobi Baumann (Faking Hitler) and written...
Darkly comic TV series Where’s Wanda? answers the question of how far a person would go to save their child. Produced by Fremantle-backed Moonage Daydream-maker UFA Fiction, Where’s Wanda? tells the story of Dedo (Axel Stein) and Carlotta Klatt (Heike Makatsch), who are desperate to locate their missing daughter months after her disappearance. When the police fail to find her, they take matters into their own hands and discover that behind closed doors, none of their neighbors are who they pretend to be.
Where’s Wanda features an ensemble German cast including multiple award-winning actress Lea Drinda (The Gryphon), newcomer Leo Simon, presenter and actress Palina Rojinski (Welcome to Germany) and entrepreneur, actress and author Nikeata Thompson (How to Dad). It is directed by Christian Ditter (How to be Single) and Tobi Baumann (Faking Hitler) and written...
- 9/7/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Prime Video has revealed its top traveling non-English local originals in the history of the service, with Spanish YA romance “My Fault” and French crime thriller “Medellín” topping the list.
Both are feature films that launched in the last two weeks across Prime Video’s footprint in 240 countries around the world. Interestingly, both titles have more than 75% of their viewership coming from outside their country of origin, though Prime Video hasn’t disclosed any further metrics related to ratings or impressions. Of the list (available in full below), 60% are movies and 40% are TV series.
While it makes sense for local originals like Prime Video’s unscripted format “Lol” to perform well in their home countries — “Big local stars and very local comedy — those don’t really travel beyond their borders,” explains James Farrell, VP of international originals for Amazon Studios — the reason the streamer is highlighting this crop of non-English...
Both are feature films that launched in the last two weeks across Prime Video’s footprint in 240 countries around the world. Interestingly, both titles have more than 75% of their viewership coming from outside their country of origin, though Prime Video hasn’t disclosed any further metrics related to ratings or impressions. Of the list (available in full below), 60% are movies and 40% are TV series.
While it makes sense for local originals like Prime Video’s unscripted format “Lol” to perform well in their home countries — “Big local stars and very local comedy — those don’t really travel beyond their borders,” explains James Farrell, VP of international originals for Amazon Studios — the reason the streamer is highlighting this crop of non-English...
- 6/20/2023
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Comedy actors Anke Engelke and Bastian Pastewka will star in a new German original series for Amazon Prime Video to be produced by Bildundtonfabrik.
The series is due to appear on the platform next year. Further details on the show have yet to be announced.
“Anke Engelke and Bastian Pastewka are a real dream team in front of the camera. Viewers can look forward to their first series project together on Prime Video,” said Philip Pratt, head of German originals for Prime Video.
News of the show was revealed by Pratt on Tuesday at a panel during the Berlin Film Festival about Prime Video’s international content strategy. Other speakers included head of Nordic Originals, Karin Lindström, and head of Nigerian Originals, Amazon Studios and Prime Video, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu.
Amazon’s German shows have included thrillers such as the Matthias Schweighöfer starrer “You Are Wanted” and “Beat,” with Jannis Niewöhner,...
The series is due to appear on the platform next year. Further details on the show have yet to be announced.
“Anke Engelke and Bastian Pastewka are a real dream team in front of the camera. Viewers can look forward to their first series project together on Prime Video,” said Philip Pratt, head of German originals for Prime Video.
News of the show was revealed by Pratt on Tuesday at a panel during the Berlin Film Festival about Prime Video’s international content strategy. Other speakers included head of Nordic Originals, Karin Lindström, and head of Nigerian Originals, Amazon Studios and Prime Video, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu.
Amazon’s German shows have included thrillers such as the Matthias Schweighöfer starrer “You Are Wanted” and “Beat,” with Jannis Niewöhner,...
- 2/21/2023
- by Leo Barraclough and Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The Francis Lawrence-directed feature adaptation of the Suzanne Collins prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has added 11 actors in its final casting round.
This includes Tony Award nominee Fionnula Flanagan, who’ll play Grandma’am, young Coriolanus Snow’s (Tom Blyth) strict grandmother. Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, the 18-year-old is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a postwar Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the girl tribute from impoverished District 12. But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy,...
This includes Tony Award nominee Fionnula Flanagan, who’ll play Grandma’am, young Coriolanus Snow’s (Tom Blyth) strict grandmother. Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, the 18-year-old is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a postwar Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the girl tribute from impoverished District 12. But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy,...
- 9/16/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon has unveiled its 2022-23 German originals slate as it up investment in the country, with new Prime Video comedy shows and the latest All or Nothing soccer doc among the highlights. At the same time, Prime Video Channels will soon offer Discovery+ and Paramount+ as add-ons.
At a Prime Video Presents Germany showcase event today in Munich, Prime Video Country Director Kaspar Pflüger said the company would “continue to invest massively in the German-speaking region,” as local content chief Philip Pratt revealed looks at fantasy series The Gryphon, 1980s-set drama series Luden and the adaptation of Sebastian Fitzek’s The Therapy, and announced several new shows, including another All or Nothing series in the soccer-mad country.
The All or Nothing docu-series will follow the German national football team’s journey to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, showing what goes on in front of and behind the scenes at the tournament.
At a Prime Video Presents Germany showcase event today in Munich, Prime Video Country Director Kaspar Pflüger said the company would “continue to invest massively in the German-speaking region,” as local content chief Philip Pratt revealed looks at fantasy series The Gryphon, 1980s-set drama series Luden and the adaptation of Sebastian Fitzek’s The Therapy, and announced several new shows, including another All or Nothing series in the soccer-mad country.
The All or Nothing docu-series will follow the German national football team’s journey to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, showing what goes on in front of and behind the scenes at the tournament.
- 9/12/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Amazon’s Head of German Originals Philip Pratt says an upcoming slew of films and TV series are the culmination of two years’ work, as Prime Video seeks to “stand out in the face of a flood of content” and plots a major local unscripted push.
Later this evening, Pratt and Amazon German Country Manager Kasper Pflueger will unveil several shows and films at a Prime Video Presents event in Munich, including Silver, which Deadline broke the news of earlier today.
In an exclusive interview with Deadline, Pratt said he sees the slate as a culmination of a period of development and production that will position the SVoD uniquely against a field of other global streamers and revitalized local broadcasters, all of whom are spending significant sums on their own original shows. “The last two years have been about building and development and now we’re ready to go.
Later this evening, Pratt and Amazon German Country Manager Kasper Pflueger will unveil several shows and films at a Prime Video Presents event in Munich, including Silver, which Deadline broke the news of earlier today.
In an exclusive interview with Deadline, Pratt said he sees the slate as a culmination of a period of development and production that will position the SVoD uniquely against a field of other global streamers and revitalized local broadcasters, all of whom are spending significant sums on their own original shows. “The last two years have been about building and development and now we’re ready to go.
- 9/12/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
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Amazon Studios remains committed to local original productions as its audiences are demanding them in addition to popular U.S. programming, but will never be about targeting pure content volume, but a “slow and steady, very curated approach,” Georgia Brown, head of European originals at Amazon Studios, told a television industry gathering in Scotland on Wednesday.
Her comments at the Edinburgh TV Festival came after Warner Bros. Discovery shared a change of strategy for its streaming business in Europe on July 4, saying that it would be “ceasing our original programming efforts for HBO Max in the Nordics and Central Europe” and had already ended “our nascent development activities in the newer territories of Netherlands and Turkey, which had commenced over the past year.” The decision came following the merger that created the new industry powerhouse and amid its “work on combining HBO Max...
Amazon Studios remains committed to local original productions as its audiences are demanding them in addition to popular U.S. programming, but will never be about targeting pure content volume, but a “slow and steady, very curated approach,” Georgia Brown, head of European originals at Amazon Studios, told a television industry gathering in Scotland on Wednesday.
Her comments at the Edinburgh TV Festival came after Warner Bros. Discovery shared a change of strategy for its streaming business in Europe on July 4, saying that it would be “ceasing our original programming efforts for HBO Max in the Nordics and Central Europe” and had already ended “our nascent development activities in the newer territories of Netherlands and Turkey, which had commenced over the past year.” The decision came following the merger that created the new industry powerhouse and amid its “work on combining HBO Max...
- 8/24/2022
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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