Mediawan Confirms Acquisition Of Peter Chernin’s North Road

French giant Mediawan, which already owns Brad Pitt’s Plan B, has confirmed it is to acquire Peter Chernin‘s The North Road Company.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed but the pair said they are creating a near-100-production company-sized unit representing more than $2B in annual production volume across 15 countries. The production giant makes the likes of Slow Horses, The Count of Monte Cristo, Ford v Ferrari and the Planet of the Apes franchise.

The new group, reports of which first emerged earlier this month, will have a presence in the U.S., France, Germany, U.K., Italy, Spain, Australia, Mexico, and Turkey. North Road will serve as Mediawan’s North American hub. North Road’s leadership teams, labels, and creative partnerships will remain in place. Chernin will join the Board of Mediawan and will serve as Non-Executive Chairman of North Road. Scott Manson will be CEO of North Road. Jenno Topping will remain President of Chernin Entertainment. International boss Jan Frouman recently exited.

Mediawan has become a serious play in the global production game. It owns numerous French businesses along with having made splashy buys over the past couple of years including Adolescence co-producer Plan B and Slow Horses maker See-Saw Films. 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. Internationally it runs Mexico’s Perro Azul and Turkey’s Karga Seven.

Mediawan co-founder Pierre-Antoine Capton said: “With the addition of Peter’s exceptional creative teams, we believe we are creating the ideal global home for premium storytelling. Peter is one of the most respected builders in our industry, and it is a true privilege for us to partner with him and Jesse Jacobs, and the North Road team on this next chapter. 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 maximize 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.”