Boat Rocker acquires Matador

Matador Content’s Lip Sync Battle airs on Paramount Network

Boat Rocker Media has acquired New York and LA-based production company Matador Content, marking the Canadian firm’s largest expansion into the US market.

Boat Rocker has bought the prodco in a cash and stock transaction that will see founders Jay Peterson and Todd Lubin remain at the helm of Matador. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in early 2013, Matador has produced shows such as Lip Sync Battle (Paramount Network), Boy Band (ABC), What Would Diplo Do? (Vice), The Who Was? Show and Fight World (Netflix), Master of Arms (Discovery Channel), Banksy Does New York (HBO) and Lip Sync Battle Shorties (Nickelodeon) in the US.

Boat Rocker’s purchase of the firm will allow Matador to ramp up its development slate across all genres and to access new sources of financing for pilots and series going forward, the two companies said.

Under the terms of the deal, Matador Content’s name and leadership will remain as the company becomes part of the Boat Rocker group, which includes scripted, unscripted and kids’ and family divisions.

Boat Rocker has more than 600 employees across its Toronto, New York, LA, London, Ottawa and Hong Kong offices. The firm produces 750 half-hours of content annually, while its distribution library now holds more than 7,000 half-hours of programming.

The Matador acquisition is Boat Rocker’s third in 2018, having previously acquired Fremantle’s kids’ and family division and taken a majority stake in Canadian prodco Insight Productions.

In a joint statement, Boat Rocker Media co-executive chairmen David Fortier and Ivan Schneeberg and CEO John Young said: “While we have seen meaningful success in the US market with some of our own original series, we believe that, together with Matador, we will make an even bigger mark in very short order.”