Lionsgate folds eOne’s unscripted business into new alternative TV division

US studio group Lionsgate is folding Entertainment One (eOne)’s unscripted business into a newly formed division called Lionsgate Alternative Television.

Craig Piligian

The new entity will house Lionsgate’s majority-owned unscripted production banner Pilgrim Media Group as well as eOne’s US and UK unscripted businesses including Blackfin, Renegade and Daisybeck Studios.

Pilgrim Media’s CEO and chair Craig Piligian will serve as managing director of Lionsgate Alternative Television, which is being launched two weeks after Lionsgate closed its acquisition of Canada-based eOne for around US$375m, plus the assumption of production financing loans.

Lionsgate said the market-facing brand names of each company will remain intact, while most of the production, post-production and backroom operations will be integrated.

The combined unscripted group produces series and franchises such as real estate juggernaut Selling Sunset, long-running docu-reality series Street Outlaws, reality show Naked & Afraid, MILF Manor, Wicked Tuna and The Yorkshire Vet, in addition to limited docs including Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez and Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre.

Lionsgate said the combination of the unscripted businesses forms “one of the largest players in the space.”

Lionsgate Alternative Television’s management team will include Pilgrim Media Group’s president and chief operating officer Gretchen Stockdale and chief content officer and general manager Nicholas Caprio. In addition, David Garfinkle and Jay Renfroe, principals of LA-based Renegade, will serve as senior executives on the management team. All four will report to Piligian.

Meanwhile, Lionsgate Alternative Television’s labels will be overseen by creative officers Tom Huffman for Pilgrim, Bob Kusbit for Renegade, Geno McDermott for Blackfin, Paul Stead for Daisybeck and Matt Pritchard, Matt Walton and Malcolm Gerrie for eOne UK. They will report to the management team.

In addition to placing the unscripted operations under the same banner, Lionsgate also made a significant appointment in Dirk Hoogstra, who most recently served as CEO of US-based prodco Half Yard Productions, which is part of Peter Chernin’s North Road. Non-scripted veteran Hoogstra has been tapped to lead eOne’s US label.

eOne’s global unscripted TV business was previously led by LA-based Tara Long, who left the company last month after more than a decade.

Lionsgate noted that the newly combined unscripted group will also collaborate with eOne’s Canadian unscripted team, which is led by eOne’s Canadian TV president Jocelyn Hamilton.

“The launch of Lionsgate Alternative Television marks another key milestone in the expansion of our global television footprint,” said Lionsgate Television Group chairman and chief creative officer Kevin Beggs.

“As a major force in the non-scripted programming world, Craig is the perfect executive to take our unscripted operations to the next level.”

Piligian added: “I am thrilled to announce Lionsgate Alternative Television’s extraordinary management team, comprising the most influential non-scripted producers working in our industry today.

“In addition, our top-tier creative leadership team will supercharge our business, as Lionsgate becomes one of the largest independent unscripted production companies in the world.”

The formation of Lionsgate Alternative Television comes as parent company Lionsgate prepares to separate its studio business from its streamer and cablenet Starz.

Under the plan, Lionsgate will spin off its studio assets, including its film and TV studio, library and talent management firm 3 Arts, and launch Lionsgate Studios via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company called Screaming Eagle Acquisition Corp.

The planned separation will create two separate publicly traded entities, both of which will be owned by Lionsgate. The spin-off is planned for the spring.