RedBird IMI, the media and entertainment investment company headed by ex-CNN chief Jeff Zucker, announced the completion of its $1.45 billion takeover of All3Media, the U.K.’s largest independent TV production company.
With the deal closed, Zucker, CEO of RedBird IMI, has become the chairman of the All3Media board. All3Media CEO Jane Turton and COO Sara Geater will continue to lead the media company for RedBird IMI.
The All3Media acquisition, announced in February, is RedBird IMI’s largest completed transaction to date and its fifth since the investment company was formed in late 2022. RedBird IMI’s other holdings are L.A.-based scripted production company Media Res, the studio behind Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show”; unscripted production company EverWonder Studios; children’s entertainment company Hidden Pigeon Co., founded by author-illustrator Mo Willems; and digital news outlet Front Office Sports.
RedBird IMI acquired All3Media from its two owners, Warner Bros. Discovery and Liberty Global. The deal has been approved by regulators in the U.S., U.K. and Germany.
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RedBird IMI, which includes investments from Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital Partners and Abu Dhabi-based International Media Investments,launched in late 2022 with initial committed capital of $1 billion. Zucker has said the goal is to build a global media company across news, entertainment and sports.
After All3Media went on the block last year, a number of potential acquirers lined up — including ITV, Banijay, Mediawan, Peter Chernin’s North Road and Goldman Sachs — before RedBird IMI clinched the pact.
All3Media, based in London, is billed as the U.K.’s largest independent production company. It has 50 production labels, including Studio Lambert, Raw, Two Brothers Pictures, Silverback Films, New Pictures and Neal Street Productions.
TV shows from All3Media include “Squid Game: The Challenge” (pictured above), “The Traitors,” “Gold Rush,” “Midsomer Murders,” “American Nightmare,” “The Circle,” “Call the Midwife,” “The Tourist,” “Life on Our Planet,” “The Long Shadow” and “Gogglebox.”
All3Media’s library spans genres including contemporary thrillers, detective series, soap operas, comedy, costume drama and true crime as well as documentary, features, children’s and reality programming. The company has a presence across the U.K., U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and New Zealand. All told, All3Media produces some 4,000 hours of programming annually for linear broadcasters, VOD, social media and other digital platforms. All3Media International operates a distribution catalog of over 30,000 hours, while the company’s digital business, Little Dot Studios, is focused on social video, podcast and branded content.
