Warner Bros. Takes BlazHoffski Majority Stake

AMSTERDAM/LONDON/BURBANK: Further expanding its format business, Warner Bros. International Television Production has picked up a majority stake in BlazHoffski Holding B.V., the Belgian and Dutch non-scripted entertainment producer led by Taco Ketelaar.

The investment also gives Warner Bros.—which last year acquired U.K. indie Shed—distribution rights to BlazHoffski’s formats and finished product internationally. The firm, founded in 1996 by Dan Blazer and Erik van der Hoff, is behind such shows as Hello Goodbye, Figure It Out, Intensive Caring and CIA, a show created by Dahl TV, which BlazHoffski acquired last year.

Announcing the move, Ronald Goes, executive VP and head of Warner Bros. International Television Production, noted, "Our objective is to partner with the best possible talent in each key market. BlazHoffski has a strong creative and commercial track record, an excellent management team and outstanding broadcaster relationships. I am certain that, as part of Warner Bros., BlazHoffski will continue do more of what they do best—create and produce high quality content that can become franchises and be exported to create local versions in other markets around the world.”

Taco Ketelaar, CEO BlazHoffski Holding, said, "The international appetite for our formats and talent pool has been growing rapidly and the strategic fit with Warner Bros. could not be better in helping us to broaden the roll-out and enhance the international footprint of our properties and to further our growth."

Dan Blazer, creative director and co-founder of BlazHoffski, added, "This is a dream come true to be a part of the Warner Bros. family. We are very excited about this deal which we believe will open up new opportunities for our business, both creatively and by providing access to Warner Bros. worldwide distribution and creative network. Together, we will create a powerful partnership, benefiting both from our own business here in the Netherlands and Belgium and also helping us to offer our programming to other international broadcasters.”