ITV invests in US branded content firm

UK commercial broadcaster ITV has invested an undisclosed amount in US online content company Believe Entertainment Group, which specialises in branded entertainment.

ITV will work with the New York-based firm on its US productions, as well as on international distribution and its talent relationships.

The broadcaster will also get a place on Believe’s board of directors and says its own long-form television formats will benefit as a result of the deal.

Believe has produced short-form content including The LeBrons, an original animated series starring LeBron James, available on Xbox, and Money Where Your Mouth Is, an original gameshow series hosted by Jay Mohr on Hulu.

The company specialises in developing shows with high-profile celebrities and global brands, such as 7Up, McDonald’s and Nike.

Believe’s ad-supported content has been distributed on a variety of digital platforms, including Facebook, Xbox, YouTube and Twitter.

The company was co-founded by advertising and marketing execs Dan Goodman and William H Masterson III, who had previously worked on online productions including Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy and content produced to support the release of Sacha Baron Cohen’s feature film Bruno in 2009.

It’s the latest investment into the US market by the UK commercial broadcaster, which paid an undisclosed sum for a 51% stake in New York-based prodco Diga Vision in February.

That followed a US$40m purchase of a 61.5% stake in Duck Dynasty prodco Gurney Productions in 2012, a US$25.65m deal for a controlling stake in reality TV producer High Noon Entertainment (Cake Boss) and a payment of US$30m for a controlling stake in Thinkfactory Media (Hatfields & McCoys).

US cable giant Liberty Global acquired UK satcaster BSkyB’s 6.4% stake in ITV for £481m (US$824m) in July.