Mediawan Acquires Peter Chernin’s North Road

Mediawan has acquired Peter Chernin’s North Road, paid for mostly in stock valued at approximately $900 million.

Chernin will join Mediawan’s board and serve as non-executive chairman of North Road. Scott Manson will become the CEO of the company.

Chernin co-founded North Road with Jenno Topping and Jesse Jacobs in 2022. The company’s labels include Chernin Entertainment, Chernin Entertainment Television, Kinetic Content, Worlds + Pictures, North Road Television Studio, Perro Azul and Karga Seven.

North Road’s leadership teams, creative partnerships and labels will remain the same.

Pierre-Antoine Capton, CEO and co-founder of Mediawan, 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 and 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. We will continue this work with humility and agility, delivering the best possible content for our viewers and our partners worldwide.”

“I’ve spent my career trying to focus on where the creative and entertainment businesses are going,” Chernin said. “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 maximize 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.”

“Bringing Mediawan and North Road together creates a uniquely powerful creative platform across all genres, scripted and unscripted, film and series, documentaries and animation,” added Élisabeth d’Arvieu, Mediawan’s CCO. “With talent and premium IP at the center, we have the scale to develop ambitious stories and build global franchises with the world’s leading creators, studios and platforms. This will allow accelerating co-productions, generating new synergies within the Group, creating a new bridge between the American and European industries.”

“Combining with Mediawan provides us the scale and resources to compete at the highest level globally,” Manson commented. “We look forward to continuing to be a top supplier of content to our studio and streamer partners, while also leading the industry forward with new business models alongside Pierre-Antoine and our forward-thinking partners at Mediawan.”

The Raine Group and Centerview Partners served as financial advisors to Mediawan, while Latham & Watkins LLP and Mayer Brown served as legal counsel and FGS Global served as communications counsel. For North Road, Moelis & Company LLC and PJT Partners served as financial advisors, while Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP served as legal counsel.