ITV’s Global Content Division Makes First Acquisition

LONDON, December 5: The Global Content division at ITV, led
by Dawn Airey, has made its first acquisition, shelling out an initial £26
million in cash for independent producer 12 Yard.

The deal with 12 Yard’s owners—Hat-Trick Productions and
the management team of David Young and Andy Culpin—also includes a
further payment of up to £9 million to be made in 2011, part of which is
contingent on profit performance over a three-year period.

12 Yard, a leading format creator and producer in the U.K.,
was formed in 2001 by the team behind the BBC hits Weakest Link, Dog Eat Dog and Friends Like These. The venture’s lead titles have included In
It To Win It, Eggheads, Who Dares Wins, The Great British Village Show and the International Emmy Award-winning Without Prejudice? Granada International will now become the sole
international distributor for 12 Yard programming.

Dawn Airey, the managing director of ITV Global Content,
noted, “We are delighted that 12 Yard is ITV’s first acquisition since the
announcement of our growth strategy, and I look forward to making further
announcements in due course. David and his team have built an iconic hit
machine that will continue to produce great shows for all its clients, but now
as part of the ITV family.”

—By Mansha Daswani