Redbird IMI acquires All3Media for £1.1bn
February 16, 2024
RedBird IMI has agreed to acquire All3Media, the independent television production and distribution company, from its joint owners – Warner Bros Discovery and Liberty Global – for £1.15 billion (€1.35bn). RedBird IMI is a joint venture between RedBird Capital Partners and International Media Investments focused on building companies in media, entertainment and sports.
All3Media, based in London, has 50 production labels, including Studio Lambert, Raw, Two Brothers Pictures, Silverback Films, New Pictures and Neal Street Productions, producing hit shows such as The Traitors (pictured), Squid Game: The Challenge, Gold Rush, Midsomer Murders, American Nightmare, The Circle, Call the Midwife, The Tourist, Gogglebox and more. The Group’s companies have global presence, across the UK, US, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and New Zealand and produce 4,000 hours annually for linear broadcasters, VoD, social media and other digital platforms. All3Media International operates a distribution catalogue of over 30,000 hours, while the Group’s digital business, Little Dot Studios, drives audiences in social video, podcast, and branded content across multiple platforms.
Jeff Zucker, the CEO of RedBird IMI, will become the chairman of the All3Media board. Jane Turton (CEO) and Sara Geater (COO) will continue to lead the company for RedBird IMI.
“All3Media is one of the world’s great content companies, and this gives us an incredible platform to continue to grow our expanding portfolio,” said Zucker. “The demand for new shows and ongoing existing series, both scripted and unscripted, makes All3 a perfect fit for us. And we would not be doing this if not for the tremendous confidence we have in the outstanding All3Media management team, led by Jane and Sara.”
“Acquiring All3 is an extension of our investment thesis around pure play global content creators and owners of intellectual property,” said Gerry Cardinale, Founder and Managing Partner of RedBird. “We look forward to partnering with All3’s management team to continue accelerating their growth in Europe and the U.S. and capitalising on RedBird’s ecosystem in support of that goal.”
Turton commented: “Joining forces with Jeff and the RedBird IMI team is an exciting next step for us as we continue to build All3Media. Our strategy remains to work with the world’s best talent, developing and producing high quality, popular programmes and RedBird IMI’s support and investment will be key in helping us deliver this. I am very proud of all that we have built over the past few years, and I am looking forward to working with the RedBird IMI team as we take this important next step.”
“All3Media has gone from strength to strength during our period of joint ownership with WBD, both financially and creatively,” said Andrea Salvato, Chief Development Officer, Liberty Global. “We look forward to seeing the company continue to prosper, led by Jane and the team, as part of RedBird IMI. The sale continues our strategy of recycling capital in our ventures portfolio.”
“We are incredibly proud of what All3Media, Warner Bros Discovery and Liberty Global have built together over the past decade, and given RedBird IMI’s strong commitment to creative excellence, we are confident they are best suited to shepherd this world-class production studio into its next phase and can’t wait to see all that’s ahead,” added Bruce Campbell, Warner Bros Discovery’s Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer.
RedBird IMI launched a little over a year ago, with the goal of building a global media company across news, entertainment and sports. This is the fifth investment for RedBird IMI, and its largest to-date. Its investments include the scripted production company Media Res, the unscripted production company EverWonder Studios, the children’s entertainment company Hidden Pigeon Company and the digital outlet Front Office Sports.