Mediawan sets foot on the American market. The French audiovisual group announced on Friday December 9 a “unprecedented partnership” with Plan B, Brad Pitt’s production company.
“This acquisition of a majority stake is carried out partly in Mediawan shares, thus leading the three co-presidents of Plan B, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, to also become shareholders of Mediawan”, specified the French group.
“It’s an exceptional opportunity to be able to develop Mediawan alongside Plan B, the finest independent production company in the US”, commented the CEO of Mediawan, Pierre-Antoine Capton, quoted in the press release. The group, which created the production company Blue Morning Pictures in September with director Florian Zeller, will bring together its activities across the Atlantic in a new dedicated entity.
Founded in the early 2000s in Beverly Hills (California), Plan B has produced several successful films including Infiltrators by Martin Scorsese The Tree of Life by Terrence Malick, or even The Big Short by Adam McKay. The company has been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar eight times in the past ten years.
“The same conception” of production
“Cinema is becoming international. Talents are emerging all over the world. For our future projects, we have to look outside the United States”explained Brad Pitt in an interview at Parisian. With Mediawan, “we have the same idea of how to produce films and series”added the star.
The operation, in which the shareholders of Mediawan (KKR, Bpifrance, MACSF and Société Générale) are taking part via a capital increase, values Plan B Entertainment at more than 300 million dollars and will be carried out in several installments, according to the Financial Times.
Founded in 2015 by Pierre-Antoine Capton, Xavier Niel and Matthieu Pigasse – the latter two are shareholders of the World on a personal basis – the Mediawan group is present in the production, distribution and broadcasting of films, series and streaming programs. It now brings together more than 60 production labels, gradually acquired in France and Europe.
The group behind the film’s successes North ferry and the series Ten percent now employs 1,500 people, for a turnover of around one billion euros.