Lionsgate Invests in Unscripted Studio from Gogglebox Founders

SANTA MONICA/LONDON: Lionsgate has acquired a stake in Primal Media, a new production venture from the team behind the format hits Release the Hounds and The Code.

Primal Media was formed by Gogglebox founders, format creators and executive producers Mat Steiner and Adam Wood. The new production outfit will develop and produce unscripted programs in the U.K., as well as work with Lionsgate’s alternative programming team in the U.S. to produce U.S. formats for the U.K. market.

Lionsgate will distribute Primal Media’s content worldwide and will produce formats owned by Primal Media for the U.S. and worldwide market.

Primal Media already secured its first two commissions: a third season of Release the Hounds and a second season of The Code, both for 2017.

“As Lionsgate’s Television Group expands its capabilities in the unscripted market, Mat and Adam are the perfect addition to our growing family of first-rate reality companies and best-in-class producers who are developing formats with global reach,” said Lionsgate Television Group’s chairman, Kevin Beggs. “The deal is a win-win as it provides Mat and Adam the support they need to grow Primal Media while enabling Lionsgate to enhance our footprint in the U.K., to expand the pipeline for our U.S. business and to access a fabulous library of product that can be distributed worldwide.”

“We have a lot of respect for Mat and Adam, who are among the most prolific and successful unscripted producers in the U.K.,” said Lionsgate UK’s CEO, Zygi Kamasa. “As we grow the Lionsgate UK presence in television, we are very pleased to bring in such a well-respected and talented team as the one at Primal Media.”

“We are very excited to be working with Kevin, Zygi and the entire Lionsgate team, both in the U.K. and the U.S.,” added Steiner and Wood. “While Lionsgate is a global player in the television space, it continues to have an entrepreneurial spirit that aligns perfectly with what we are trying to accomplish as we develop Primal Media into a major player creating both entertainment and factual-entertainment formats with global appeal.”