ITV Studios Takes Stake in Gomorrah Producer

ITV Studios has acquired a majority stake in the Italian independent producer Cattleya, which is behind hit series such as Gomorrah and Romanzo Criminale.

The Rome-based company has produced more than 70 films, including best foreign-language Academy Award nominee Don’t Tell. In recent years, Cattleya has focused more on TV drama production. In addition to the upcoming third season of Gomorrah, which has been sold to more than 70 countries and will be broadcast on Sky Italy starting in November, Cattleya has produced Netflix’s first Italian original series, Suburra, which focuses on politics, the Vatican and organized crime in present-day Rome.

Maria Kyriacou, the president of ITV Studios International, said: “Cattleya has built on its feature film experience and expertise to achieve fantastic television production series with the international hits Gomorrah and Romanzo Criminale and now Suburra. Riccardo, Giovanni, Marco, Gina and Francesca have established an enviable reputation as first-class drama producers by building brilliant relationships across the globe to develop ambitious projects which appeal to audiences everywhere. This coupled with our confidence that the demand for high-end European drama will continue to grow, make Cattleya a perfect partner for ITV Studios as we continue with our strategy to build an international scripted business.”

Riccardo Tozzi, Cattleya’s founder and co-CEO, said: “We are thrilled to join ITV Studios. Its strategy of investing in European and international high-profile production companies and TV content is perfectly in line with the ever-growing demand for high-end drama series. It also corresponds to the direction in which Cattleya has been headed over the last several years, to create scripted drama that will present the best of Italian and European talent to the world. We could not be happier to team up with such a formidable company, led by such expert executives as Julian Bellamy and Maria Kyriacou.”