Newen Buys into Reel One Entertainment

Newen has acquired a majority stake in the scripted producer Reel One Entertainment, which this year will deliver over 75 TV movies, including crime thrillers, romance telefilms and Christmas movies.

A subsidiary of the TF1 Group, Newen has acquired a majority stake in all of Reel One’s activities. The Canadian production activities will be housed in a subsidiary under Canadian control (with a minority stake held by Reel One). Founder Tom Berry, who will continue to hold a minority stake in the group, will continue in his role as CEO of Reel One within the Newen group.

Bibiane Godfroid, CEO of Newen, said: “This is a very dynamic period. The acquisition of Reel One brings new opportunities for us. Numerous synergies are possible with the group’s companies and we look forward to developing them with Tom Berry and his teams.”

Romain Bessi, Newen’s managing director, added: “The group is further accelerating the international development strategy it initiated last year. After Pupkin, Nimbus and De Mensen, the acquisition of Reel One will help diversify and strengthen our model, notably in English-speaking territories—North America as well as the U.K. I firmly believe this operation has the potential to create significant value for our group.”

Berry, founder and CEO of Reel One, commented: “This is an exciting development for Reel One, as we continue to grow our business beyond North America and build on our strong relationships in Europe. With our strength in the English-language-speaking world and Newen’s impressive portfolio of European scripted content, this is a truly complementary partnership. We look forward to working closely with Romain and Bibiane and all of the incredible talent within the Newen family of companies.”