Fremantle to acquire Asacha Media Group

Beyond Paradise

Fremantle has struck a conditional agreement to acquire global production company Asacha Media Group.

The deal will see Fremantle acquire the outfit from Asacha’s founding partners, managers and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management.

It comes six months after TBI revealed that Asacha was exploring a sale, with the acquisition subject to customary closing conditions.

Andrea Scrosati, Gaspard De Chavagnac, Marina Williams

Headquartered in Paris, Asacha will continue to be run by co-founder and group CEO Gaspard de Chavagnac, who will now report to Andrea Scrosati, Fremantle’s group COO and CEO Continental Europe.

Financial details have not been revealed but Fremantle owner RTL Group said it was investing €200m ($216m) in the Asacha acquisition and its recent purchase of an 80% majority stake in Beach House Pictures from Blue Ant Media.

Fremantle has been on a spending spree over the past three years, with RTL Group confirming last year that it would be “investing significantly” in the production & distribution arm to fuel its ambitions of hitting a €3bn revenue target by 2025. The group’s revenues touched €2.3bn ($2.4bn) in 2022.

RTL’s CEO, Thomas Rabe, said the acquisitions of Asacha and Beach House were “part of Fremantle’s boost plan to invest in and grow premium production companies around the world and to work with world-class talent.”

He added: “With the acquisitions, Fremantle is well on track to reach its €3 billion revenue target, effectively doubling the global video production business within five years,” said RTL CEO Thomas Rabe.

Portfolio of labels

Asacha is comprised of French production companies Kabo Family, Mintee and Srab Films; Italian labels Picomedia and Stand By Me; and UK-based Arrow Media, Red Planet Pictures and Wag.

The companies will continue to report to de Chavagnac, who will also continue to be supported by Marina Williams, chief content officer of Asacha.

Death In Paradise

Asacha Media was founded in 2020 by de Chavagnac, Williams and Marc-Antoine d’Halluin. Its labels are behind shows including Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise (Red Planet Pictures); Mare Fuori and La Storia (Picomedia); Saint Omer (Srab Films); Cimetiere Indien (Mintee Studio); and Don’t Pick Up The Phone (Wag).

Fremantle’s existing businesses in the regions in which Asacha operates, such as Talkback in the UK, Kwaï in France and Wildside in Italy, will be unaffected by the deal and will continue to operate and report to the current Fremantle structure.

“Fremantle is proud to be investing and partnering with the very best international creative talent. Gaspard de Chavagnac, Marina Williams, and Marc-Antoine d’Halluin and the incredible producers and talents that have created Asacha certainly fall into this category, and we are delighted they have chosen to join the Fremantle family,” said Scrosati.

“They have built an impressive portfolio of market-leading labels, each of which perfectly complements our existing businesses in each of their markets. This strategic deal underlines both companies’ ambitious growth targets, and we look forward to collaborating with their immensely talented creatives across the group.”