Anton Strikes $40M Deal With French Media Group Newen

Euro financier and co-producer Anton has struck a co-fi deal with major French production and distribution group Newen, whose subsidiaries have produced shows including period drama Versailles and hit French soap Plus Belle La Vie.

The strategic agreement, worth up to $40M (€35M), will see Anton become a co-investor in Newen’s distribution rights for both group productions and third-party programs across all genres (fiction, documentary and animation). As we hear it, Anton will take “a meaningful share (of around 40%) in each program in which Newen Distribution gets involved”.

Paris-based Newen, a subsidiary of French studio TF1, is one of the biggest producers in France. The Group owns production companies including Telfrance, Capa, Be Aware, 17 juin Me, and Blue Spirit in France, and Tuvalu, Pupkin, Nimbus and De Mensen in northern Europe. It has been on an international growth path for more than a year now and recently acquired a majority stake in Canadian firm Reel One which specializes in TV movies for the North American and overseas markets.

The Newen group can call on more than 1,000 hours of content a year for local and overseas distribution and has a catalogue of more than 5,000 hours for international release.

Anton’s high-profile slate investments to date have included Studiocanal, BBC and French producer Federation Entertainment. It recently ploughed tens of millions of dollars into major upcoming HBO and BBC drama His Dark Materials. We profiled the company yesterday.

Romain Bessi, Newen Managing Director, said, “I am very pleased with this agreement with Anton, which shares our ambition. Its support will help speed up our growth and expand our European projects by boosting their export potential.”

Sébastien Raybaud, CEO and founder of Anton, added, “Newen has a proven track record in creating original, world-class content for the global market. We are excited to be partnering with the group at this key moment in its expansion.“