Zodiak Acquires Kanakna

STOCKHOLM/BRUSSELS,
October 1: Zodiak Television has reached a deal to acquire 100 percent of the
shares in the Belgian and Dutch production firm Kanakna.

The move
aims to bolster Zodiak’s presence in Benelux and other markets in continental
Europe. “This substantial deal is a great addition to the current strategy,
creativity and profitability of Zodiak,” said Patrick Svensk, the president and
CEO of Zodiak. “I am pleased to see Kanakna as part of the Zodiak Television
Group and especially welcome the people behind Kanakna as important drivers for
the group’s new continental strategy and overall development. I am very
impressed with the growth of Kanakna during the last five years and, since we
have been working together on several projects the last couple of years, I know
that we fit extremely well together.”

Over the
last five years Kanakna has developed and/or produced successful shows such as Hel
leve zoals het is
for VRT and Peking Express for broadcasters in Belgium, Holland, Germany, Scandinavia and France.
The company has long-term relationships with channels such as VRTG, VT4, VTM,
Net 5, RTL and M6.

“As a true
entrepreneur I am delighted to join forces with Zodiak so that we can jointly
build the group into one to the greatest television groups in the world,” said
Ludo Poppe, the founder, main shareholder and CEO of Kanakna. “We have been
talking to each other for three years and the timing is perfect. We have an
excellent fit, both from a content and a strategic point of view. I am very
much looking forward to building the group together with Patrick Svensk and the
rest of our joint management team and directors.”