FremantleMedia Acquires Dutch Indie

LONDON: FremantleMedia is taking 100-percent control of the Dutch production outfit FourOne Media, expanding its capabilities in the Netherlands to include drama and sitcoms.

FremantleMedia already owns the Dutch venture Blue Circle. Both companies will now be led by FourOne’s founder, Willem Zijlstra as managing director, reporting to Monica Galer, the head of Northern and Southern Europe at FremantleMedia. FourOne Media’s credits include S1ngle, which airs daily on Net5!, and Scoots and Helmets for MTV.

“FourOne Media has developed a unique position in Holland, carving out strong relationships with networks and producing content with a wide audience appeal," said Simon Spalding, the regional CEO for Europe and Asia-Pacific at FremantleMedia. "FourOne Media has built a formidable drama and fiction offering, and we hope to further build on the company’s outstanding track-record in the industry,”

Galer added: “FremantleMedia’s acquisition of FourOne enhances Blue Circle’s position in the market by moving us into new areas of production as we pick up a fantastic catalogue of fiction and drama. I’m delighted to welcome Willem and the rest of the FourOne Media team to the FremantleMedia family.”