Mediawan to acquire Peter Chernin’s North Road
French production and distribution giant Mediawan has confirmed it is to acquire Peter Chernin’s North Road in the US.
Mediawan said the acquisition means it and North Road will operate nearly 100 individual production companies, representing over US$2bn in annual production volume across 15 countries, including the US, France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain, Australia, Mexico and Turkey.
North Road will serve as Mediawan’s North American hub. Its leadership teams, labels and creative partnerships will remain in place.
Chernin will join the board of Mediawan and serve as non-executive chair of North Road. Scott Manson will become CEO of North Road, while Jenno Topping will remain president of Chernin Entertainment.
North Road’s media entities include: Chernin Entertainment, led by David Ready; Chernin Entertainment Television, led by Kaitlin Dahill and Tracey Cook; Kinetic Content, led by Chris Coelen; Worlds + Pictures, led by Connor Schell; North Road Television Studio, led by Amy Israel; Perro Azul in Mexico City and Karga Seven in Istanbul.
Manson said: “Combining with Mediawan provides us the scale and resources to compete at the highest level globally. We look forward to continuing to be a top supplier of content to our studio and streamer partners, while also leading the industry forward with new business models alongside Pierre-Antoine and our forward-thinking partners at Mediawan.”
The acquisition follows Mediawan’s first North American investment in 2022, in Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment.
Pierre-Antoine Capton, co-founder and CEO of Mediawan Group, said: “Over the past decade, Mediawan has grown from a French independent studio into one of Europe’s leading global content groups. Our success is reflected in the strength of our IP and the ambition of our upcoming slate. With the addition of Peter’s exceptional creative teams, we believe we are creating the ideal global home for premium storytelling.
“As our industry consolidates, our goal is to reinforce Mediawan’s position as the leading independent platform for premium content and as a trusted partner to streaming platforms and all content distributors worldwide. We will continue this work with humility and agility, delivering the best possible content for our viewers and our partners worldwide.”
Chernin added: “I’ve spent my career trying to focus on where the creative and entertainment businesses are going. In the streaming era, the platforms have all become global buyers. It’s time for a global content company with leadership in geographies all over the world to maximise the potential of this new landscape. I’m thrilled to partner with Pierre-Antoine, who shares this global vision, and Mediawan to build this company.”
No financial details were disclosed, but the combined group, led by Capton, will be headquartered in Paris with Mediawan’s governance and control remaining unchanged. Élisabeth d’Arvieu will become chief content officer, leading the group’s global content strategy across scripted television and film, unscripted and reality, documentaries, animation and emerging formats.
D’Arvieu said: “Bringing Mediawan and North Road together creates a uniquely powerful creative platform across all genres, scripted and unscripted, film and series, documentaries and animation. With talent and premium IP at the centre, we have the scale to develop ambitious stories and build global franchises with the world’s leading creators, studios and platforms. This will allow accelerating coproductions, generating new synergies within the group, creating a new bridge between the American and European industries.”
The combined entity is backed by global investors, including Mediawan’s strategic partner KKR, as well as Qatar Investment Authority, Providence Equity Partners, The Raine Group, Bpifrance and Mediawan co-founders Xavier Niel and Matthieu Pigasse.
North Road shareholders, founders and management team will become significant minority Mediawan shareholders.
Completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals, with closing expected in H1 2026.
