TVEUROPE
The Dublin-based group FRK Investments has launched a new fund under Netshow Capital that aims to back the production of high-budget TV series with international appeal.
Netshow Capital is billed as an Irish investment vehicle specialized in audiovisual production of TV series and their monetization, addressed to streaming platforms and linear TV networks. Its goal is building a portfolio of eight to ten series with appeal across markets and distribution channels. It will be focused on productions both in English and Spanish language, although it is open to opportunities (also relicensing) in other languages. It is planning to invest €15 million ($16.6 million) a year in international TV series.
The fund is already considering various projects with producers as well as closing agreements with platforms and international distributors in Europe and the Americas. David Blasco, managing partner at Netshow, said: “Our goal is to provide the complementary but necessary capital so these projects can be developed from script to screens, unleashing the full creative potential of this new wave of storytellers. Then our mission may continue by supporting global sales and distribution to ensure meeting commercial goals across different distribution networks, markets and windows.”
Felipe Ponton, partner specialized in content validation and curation at Netshow, added: “We are witnessing a ‘perfect storm’ in terms of the conditions under which this industry is booming. There has never been a better opportunity in the content ecosystem; demand continues to grow endlessly, and production quality increases exponentially pushing players to deliver increasingly greater value to stand out. We offer a high-quality alternative investment through a rigorous selection process where projects are carefully and tediously pondered.”
Netshow expects to make its first closing at the end of 2019, with half of the fund already committed, to start co-investing in exceptional TV series in the first quarter of 2020 and beyond. “We offer our investors the unprecedented opportunity to be part of a booming sector yielding remarkable financial returns in a short and medium-term with very a controlled risk management,” said Jesus Fernandez, managing partner at FRK Investments group and co-founder of Netshow.
