all3media Acquires German Fact-Ent Producer

all3media Deutschland has purchased _wige SOUTH&BROWSE, which specializes in factual entertainment and docutainment.

The company develops and produces entertainment formats at its base in Munich, notably in the fields of knowledge and local trends, for daytime and prime-time viewing. Productions include Heimatrauschen (Bayrischer Rundfunk), the formats Miss Wildcard and MixUp Arts (both Sky), as well as projects for Galileo (ProSieben). Its portfolio also includes a high-end post-production facility, VFX-/VisualLab.

Once the takeover becomes effective, Tom Gamlich, currently the senior VP of entertainment at _wige MEDIA, will be responsible for operations at SOUTH&BROWSE as managing director and executive producer.

Markus Schäfer, the managing director of all3media Deutschland, said: “By acquiring SOUTH&BROWSE, all3media Deutschland is strengthening its competence in the field of factual entertainment. Along with Tower Productions—our joint venture with BBC Worldwide—and the factual programs produced by filmpool entertainment, we will, in future, have yet another foothold in this key market segment. I am looking forward to working with Tom Gamlich and his team. With Tom, we have gained a creative executive for our group who is noted for his proven high level of competence in the field of developing and realizing formats. By taking over SOUTH&BROWSE, we will also be able to further expand the number of broadcasters for which we produce. And finally, I am extremely glad that, thanks to SOUTH&BROWSE, all3media will now also have its own production location in Munich, as well as in Cologne and Berlin.”

Gamlich commented: “In tandem with all3media, SOUTH&BROWSE will become part of one of the largest independent television producers in Germany and the world. We anticipate that our integration into this group will provide access to a creative network with a strong infrastructure, which will promote program content development and future growth.”