VIMN to Acquire Majority Interest in Brazilian Comedy Producer

Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) has struck a deal to acquire a majority interest in Porta dos Fundos, a producer of comedy content out of Brazil.

Porta dos Fundos—founded by Fabio Porchat, Antonio Tabet, João Vicente de Castro, Ian SBF and Gregorio Duvivier in 2012—is a leading video production company in Brazil known for creating short-form comedy sketches and TV programming. The Porta dos Fundos YouTube channel currently has more than 13 million subscribers.

Pierluigi Gazzolo, the president of VIMN Americas who will oversee the business, commented: “As we continue to build scale in the Latin American region, our investment in Porta dos Fundos furthers our commitment to the Brazilian market and increases our ability to create innovative content, often native to digital platforms, which will complement our existing Viacom brands and capabilities. The talent and creativity showcased by the founding members of Porta dos Fundos in building this brand are impressive, and we are excited to join forces to expand its presence outside of Brazil via our highly successful network of brands around the world. We firmly believe that content ownership is a key driver of success and are happy to add this new dimension to our portfolio.”

Tereza Gonzalez, the CEO of Porta dos Fundos, added: “The partnership with VIMN couldn’t make us happier. The venture is a big step for the group towards expanding into the international market, with new global opportunities for our portfolio both on and offline. Additionally, the deal provides exceptional distribution channels for our content.”