STUDIOCANAL Invests in U.K. Production Outfit

PARIS/LONDON: Bolstering its position in the TV space, STUDIOCANAL has picked up a majority interest in British outfit RED, whose credits include the BAFTA-winning Last Tango in Halifax on BBC One.

CANAL+ Group's studio already owns a majority stake in TANDEM Communications. The deal for RED advances its strategy to replicate its successful feature-film-production model in the TV-content business.

Olivier Courson, the chairman and CEO of STUDIOCANAL, said, “Partnering with RED is a step forward in positioning STUDIOCANAL as a European leader in content production. Nicola Shindler’s strong track record of developing acclaimed and popular British TV series is the perfect fit for our ambition to develop British and international content out of the U.K. Thanks to RED and TANDEM, STUDIOCANAL will be able to provide broadcasters and platforms with high-quality international TV programs."

Founded by Shindler in 1998, Manchester-based RED has produced such shows as Queer as Folk for Channel 4 and Scott & Bailey for ITV. Last Tango in Halifax is returning for a second season this month. “When I first set up RED in the late 1990s I wanted to work with the best writers in the industry to produce the very best drama content," Shindler added. "This is still my priority and the day to day running of the company will be unchanged. The significant investment from STUDIOCANAL gives us at RED the opportunity to meet our growing ambitions without compromising the core values of the company. I am looking forward to working with STUDIOCANAL on producing ambitious, daring and engaging content—both in the U.K. and internationally—as well as accessing their extensive library of film content.”