FremantleMedia buys 75% of Original

Global production giant FremantleMedia has bought a 75% stake in Original Productions, the LA prodco behind gritty, male-skewing cable favourites such as Ax Men, Ice Road Truckers and Deadliest Catch.

Ten-year-old Original will now become part of FremantleMedia’s network of global production, distribution and licensing companies. Rumours that Fremantle was considering a bid have been circling for months, with C21 reporting that the company was eyeing up Original in November.

A spokeswoman for Fremantle declined to comment on how much the company had paid for its majority stake, but Original founder Thom Beers is continuing in his role as CEO, as will president Philip Segal.

The rights to Original’s existing productions are widely dispersed, so it is unlikely Fremantle will get outright control the company’s library. Beers has an existing distribution relationship with FremantleMedia Enterprises as well as with ITV Global Entertainment for older shows like Monster Garage.

“We’ve already established a very strong relationship with the FremantleMedia Enterprises team, who have far exceeded our expectations in terms of distribution,” said Beers, who retains 25% of Original. “Now, the Original Productions brand will reach an even wider audience under the successful FremantleMedia umbrella.”

“We are very excited to be working with Thom and his talented team,” said FremantleMedia CEO Tony Cohen. “Original Productions has created outstanding shows that have been enormously popular with audiences around the world.”

Fremantle had already been in business with Original as a distributor of some of its shows overseas. Deadliest Catch has been successful in the UK market, which spurred Fremantle’s interest in expanding its business relationship.

The purchase is the latest in a recent spate of global investments made by Fremantle, including taking a 19.9% stake in Australian production company Beyond International and a range of deals under its Talent Fund initiative. These include partnerships with Bea Ballard’s 10 Star Entertainment, Trevor Eve’s Projector and Rob Brydon’s Arbie, all in the UK, and Ashton Kutcher’s Katalyst in the US.