NBCU Acquires U.K. Outfit

LONDON: NBC Universal International has acquired British independent production company Monkey Kingdom, whose credits include non-scripted and entertainment fare like The Charlotte Church Show, Comedy Roasts and My Kind of Town.

“We are in the process of transforming NBC Universal International into a leading destination for content creators," said Michael Edelstein, the president of international television production at NBCU. "Monkey has proven themselves as innovators in the non-scripted space, and we are excited to help build their business in the U.K., U.S. and around the world.”

Peter Smith, president of NBC Universal International, added, "Monkey is our third production venture following the acquisition of Carnival and our investment and launch of WTTV since we outlined our strategy to drive international growth through production. We will continue to look for opportunities to build out our business even further.”

Monkey will continue to be run by its founders, David Granger and Will Macdonald, reporting to Gareth Neame, managing director for NBCU International in the U.K. Monkey will work closely with Neame and Sophie Lloyd of Peacock Productions, an NBC Universal non-fiction production unit.

Granger and Macdonald commented, "From their years as top-notch producers, Michael and Gareth have a great understanding of what makes compelling content, and they recognize how our creative strengths will complement their growth. We’re excited by their ambition and the scale of NBCU’s international expansion plans. NBCU owns a huge number of exciting formats ripe for production outside the U.S., and we look forward to strengthening our ability to develop and sell new formats throughout the world.”