Beta Film buys into Fisher King, launches Nordic Studios

Bordertown

Beta Film in Germany has taken a majority stake in Finnish film and TV production company Fisher King and launched Swedish-based Beta Nordic Studios (BNS).

The group will serve as an umbrella for Beta’s production activities in Scandinavia, consisting of Finnish production company Fisher King (Nymphs, Bordertown) and Dramacorp, the joint venture set up in 2016 by veteran Swedish-French drama executive Patrick Nebout and Jan Mojto’s production and distribution outlet.

Beta Film’s EVP Justus Riesenkampff and the newly appointed CEO Martin Håkansson, a former executive at Lagadère Sports and Nice Entertainment Group, are serving as directors of BNS.

BNS will focus on local scripted projects with international appeal, with shows then taken to market via Beta Film’s distribution network.

“Fisher King is a great fit because the co-founders and creators Matti Halonen and Miikko Oikkonen stand for some of the finest international drama series coming from Scandinavia,” said Riesenkampff.

Håkansson added: “Despite a period of intense consolidation, there are still opportunities in the Nordic market. Fisher King is a fine example; it has succeeded in creating ratings-busting drama for the domestic market, while developing and delivering ideas strong enough to take on the world.

“Crucially, however, this is not an M&A strip-and-sell mission — in fact, it is the very opposite. Our mission is to combine the Nordic genius for production with Beta Film’s production experience and distribution power to create a joint venture that will deliver great, BNS-branded entertainment for years to come.”

Fisher King’s founder and managing partner, Matti Halonen, added: “This new chapter in Fisher King’s own story will allow us to take that ambition higher, further and to more audiences around the world.”