Warners Bros buys BlazHoffski

Hollywood studio Warner Bros has acquired a majority stake in BlazHoffski, one of the leading production companies in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The production company, which was founded in 1996 by Dan Blazer and Erik van der Hoff, specialises in making reality programmes. Its productions include unscripted show Hello Goodbye and Figure it Out.

Earlier this year Warner Bros. struck a deal with BlazHoffski to distribute its reality competition format Flashback and it has now taken a majority stake in the production company for an undisclosed sum.

Announcing the deal, Ronald Goes, executive VP, Warner Bros. International Television Production said: “Our objective is to partner with the best possible talent in each key market. BlazHoffski has a strong creative and commercial track record, an excellent management team and outstanding broadcaster relationships. I am certain that, as part of Warner Bros., BlazHoffski will continue do more of what they do best – create and produce high quality content that can become franchises and be exported to create local versions in other markets around the world.”

Taco Ketelaar, CEO, BlazHoffski, said: “The international appetite for our formats and talent pool has been growing rapidly and the strategic fit with Warner Bros. could not be better in helping us to broaden the roll-out and enhance the international footprint of our properties and to further our growth.”

Warner Bros has been building bought Shed Media last year in a £99.9 million deal. Its stated aim is to “establish operating production companies in major territories around the world and to become a leading local producer of scripted and non-scripted programming”. It said the BlazHoffski deal marked the next step in that strategic initiative.