SPTI Invests in New U.K. Indie

LONDON, March 27: Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) has
acquired a stake in Gogglebox Entertainment, a new British independent
production company focused on entertainment formats for the U.K. market.

The Hammersmith-based company was established by Mat Steiner and Adam
Wood, former executives of Lion TV. As head of creative and head of
entertainment, respectively, Steiner and Wood built a
substantial new formats business, devising and executive producing a range of
shows including Cash Cab, Playing It Straight, Let Me Entertain You, The Big Day, To Catch A Thief and Mum’s On Strike.

In addition to making a
minority investment in the new company, SPTI will obtain the international
distribution rights to formats created by Gogglebox for TV and other platforms.
The investment by SPTI is one of a number of recent initiatives either
completed or in progress, to further enhance its position in the
light-entertainment sector.

Antony Root, the senior VP of European production at SPTI, noted: “As
we expand our non-scripted business in Europe, we are delighted to invest in
Mat and Adam's new company. At Lion, and in their earlier careers, they have
created and produced highly successful non-scripted formats for the U.K. and
international markets. We look forward to working closely with them to
establish Gogglebox as a premier, independent U.K. entertainment producer.”

By Mansha Daswani