Fremantle buys Beers’ Original

RTL-backed production and distribution group FremantleMedia has acquired a 75% stake in Thom Beers’ production company Original Productions.

The factual producer has churned out a raft of hit series in recent years including Ice Road Truckers, Deadliest Catch, Monster Garage and Ax Men.

Fremantle said the deal clears the way for Original to expand its slate of male-skewed factual programming. Original already had a distribution deal with Fremantle.

FremantleMedia been expanding recently with similar purchases of a 19.9% stake in Australian producer Beyond International and funding for indies such as Rob Brydon’s Arbie, Bea Ballard’s 10 Star Entertainment and Ashton Kutcher’s Katalyst.