French production and distribution group Mediawan has acquired Peter Chernin’s US-based studio, named The North Road Company.
Together, Mediawan and North Road will operate nearly 100 individual production companies with over $2bn in annual production volume across 15 countries, including the US, France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain, Australia, Mexico, and Turkey.
This acquisition is Mediawan’s first North American investment since 2022, when it bought Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment.
The acquisition was paid largely in stock and values North Road at roughly $900m, according to The New York Times.
The combined group is behind titles such as Adolescence, Slow Horses, One Day, Call My Agent!, Miraculous, Love Is Blind, Chief of War as well as feature films such as F1, Ford v Ferrari, The Count of Monte Cristo, the Planet of the Apes franchise and L’Amour Ouf.
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North Road will act as Mediawan’s North American hub. North Road’s leadership teams, labels, and creative partnerships will remain in place.
Peter Chernin will join the board of Mediawan and will become Non-Executive Chairman of The North Road Company. Scott Manson will become CEO of The North Road Company, while Jenno Topping will remain President of Chernin Entertainment.
North Road’s media labels 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.
Created in late 2015 in France by Pierre-Antoine Capton, Xavier Niel, and Matthieu Pigasse, Mediawan has grown from a French independent studio into one of Europe’s leading global content groups.
Mediawan is home to more than 80 production labels, including Adolescence co-producer Plan B, Slow Horses maker See-Saw Films, and One Day producer Drama Republic. Mediawan has also built a global distribution and rights platform through Mediawan Rights and Leonine.
Pierre-Antoine Capton, Co-Founder and CEO of Mediawan Group, said: “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, 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.”
Peter Chernin, Founder of The North Road Company, added: “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 maximise 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.”
Margot Robbie’s production company, LuckyChap, recently teamed with European studio Mediawan Group to launch a London-based venture headed by Netflix’s Mona Qureshi and the BBC’s Tanya Qureshi. Discover more here.
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