Newen has acquired a majority stake in Reel One, a leading player in the production and licensing of scripted content for the North American and global markets. With 90% of its revenue generated outside of Canada, Reel One is an international player with strong growth prospects in the thriving television films and more recently series sectors. The Canadian group develops, produces and licenses programmes for the leading commercial channels in the US, Europe and the rest of the world, as well as SVOD platforms. The content created and licensed by Reel One is watched by millions of viewers around the world. 

For Newen, Reel One constitutes a high-potential asset that will enhance its audiovisual production and licensing operations.

Newen will benefit from great synergies with Reel One, such as the significant volume of original English-language productions, the diversity of genres and the geographical reach of its distribution network. This year the company will deliver over 75 TV movies, including top-rating crime thrillers, romantic movies and Christmas movies. The TV movie has become an essential and high-quality genre thanks to its level of production, casting and filming locations… generating large audiences.

This acquisition also brings new opportunities for Newen in the production of drama series and in terms of access to North American and British talent.

For Bibiane Godfroid, CEO of Newen: “This is a very dynamic period. The acquisition of Reel One brings new opportunities for us. Numerous synergies are possible with the group’s companies and we look forward to developing them with Tom Berry and his teams.”

For Romain Bessi, Newen Managing Director: “The group is further accelerating the international development strategy it initiated last year. After Pupkin, Nimbus and De Mensen, the acquisition of Reel One will help to diversify and strengthen our model, notably in English-speaking territories – North America as well as the UK. I firmly believe this operation has the potential to create significant value for our group.”

For Tom Berry, founder and CEO of Reel One: “This is an exciting development for Reel One, as we continue to grow our business beyond North America and build on our strong relationships in Europe. With our strength in the English language speaking world and Newen’s impressive portfolio of European scripted content, this is a truly complimentary partnership. We look forward to working closely with Romain and Bibiane and all of the incredible talent within the Newen family of companies.”