Amcomri adds Flame Distribution library to Abacus Media Rights portfolio

David Attenborough in Life in Colour

Abacus Media Rights (AMR) owner Amcomri Entertainment has acquired Australia’s Flame Distribution, adding more than 500 titles and 2,000 hours of programming to its library.

Flame will be operated by Amcomri’s London-based distributor AMR, with its team reporting to AMR’s MD, Jonathan Ford.

Established in 2011 with offices in Sydney, London and New York, Flame Distribution, a division of the Flame Media group, specialises in high-end factual entertainment and documentary programming.

Key Flame Media titles include Outback Truckers and Outback Opal Hunters from Prospero Productions, The Moors Murders from MAP TV and Life in Colour with David Attenborough from Humble Bee Films and SeaLight Pictures.

The transaction closed about 15 months after the death of Flame Media founder and CEO John Caldon.

Robert Price

“This acquisition, fully aligned with our buy-and-build growth strategy, strengthens our global offering in the factual and documentary TV content distribution and library markets, building on the remarkable success we have enjoyed in those sectors through our subsidiary Abacus Media Rights,” said Amcomri CEO Robert Price.

“Flame is a well-respected and established business with a fantastic catalogue that complements our portfolio; representing both scripted and unscripted content,” added AMR’s Ford. “Key staff from Flame Media will continue to work with Abacus Media Rights to enable a seamless transition.”

“Abacus have a very similar ethos to Flame and really understand what is needed to be a successful distributor in today’s environment. They are keen to work with producers at all stages of production as Flame has been and to help bring finance plans together for new productions,” said Flame Media content sales and acquisitions director Fiona Gilroy.