| Zodiak Media | |
| Area Served: | Worldwide |
| Divisions: | Zodiak Active Zodiak Americas Zodiak Belgium Zodiak France Zodiak Kids Zodiak MEAA Zodiak Nederland Zodiak Nordic Zodiak UK Zodiak Russia |
| Subsid: | Adventure Line Productions Bwark Productions The Comedy Unit GTV Productions IWC Media Jarowskij KM Productions Magnolia Mastiff RDF Television Red House Sol Productions TeleAlliance Touchpaper Television Yellow Bird |
| Former Names: |
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| Industry: | TV production |
| Fate: | Acquired by, merged with, and folded into Banijay; some assets still retained the Zodiak name |
| Hq Location City: | Paris |
| Hq Location Country: | France |
| Successor: | Banijay Entertainment |
Zodiak Media was a global independent television group with up to 45 companies covering fiction, entertainment, and animation, spread across 15 countries, including France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, Spain, the Nordic countries, and Russia.
The group merged in February 2016 with Banijay Group, which then became the world's leading independent producer of content for television and multimedia platforms.[1]
Zodiak Rights, the international distribution arm of Zodiak Media, now a Banijay Group company, is one of the leading distributors on the international market. Its catalogue has over 20,000 hours of programming.[2]
The Zodiak Media group was formed by the successive acquisition of television production companies under the impetus of the Italian De Agostini: Magnolia and Marathon Media in 2007 (Italy, Spain and France), Zodiak TV in 2008 (Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Russia),[3] RDF Media in 2010 (United Kingdom and United States).[4]
The company's first interrogation began when MTV Produktion AB was founded in the 1981 as a technical facility in Sweden, but by the late 1980s they decided to move into television programming.
In Italy, Magnolia SPA was founded in 2000 by Giorgio Gori as an independent reality television production company so it could adapt entertainment formats to Italian networks.
On April 27, 2003, MTV Produktion AB announced that they acquired Swedish-based production outfit Mastiff Media AB from Bonnier Group marking their first acquisition and the two merged to become the Scandinavian production group MTV Mastiff Produktion AB with MTV Produktion AB and Mastiff Media AB retaining their brands along with the former launching a new international division named MTV Mastiff International.
On August 19, 2004, after nearly a year after MTV and Mastiff merged to form MTV Mastiff AB, the holding company MTV Production AB announced that they brought fellow Swedish production company Jarowskij along with its Finland subsidiary Jarowskij Finland and merged the former company with MTV Mastiff although their brands were retained after the merger.[5] By November 2004, after the merger with Jarowskij in that same year MTV Mastiff Produktion AB announced that they had changed their name to Zodiak Television AB with their international division also being renamed to Zodiak Television World along with their division MTV Mastiff being retained as a brand.
On May 3, 2005, Zodiak Television AB expanded its operations in Finland by announcing that they had acquired Finnish production company Broadcasters Group, marking their second acquisition in Finland with Broadcasters Group's management remained in the acquired company.[6]
In January 2006, Zodiak Television announced that they brought out a 35% stake in Polish production company Zebra Media, marking Zodiak's first entry into the Polish production outfit.[7]
In February 2006, Zodiak announced that their expanding its operations into Eastern Europe by acquiring a 34% stake in Russian production company TeleAlliance along with their companies Dixi Media, Teleformat and Rytm, marking the first time the Copenhagen-based entertainment group entered the Russian television market.[8]
In October 2006, Zodiak Television AB entered the British television industry for the first time when they announced that they brought British producer Diverse Productions, marking Zodiak's first entry to the UK market.[9]
In February 2007, Zodiak Television AB announced that they brought Swedish-based TV and film production company Yellow Bird with Jarowskij's drama production output being folded into the acquired company thrust expanding Zodiak's Swedish operations.[10]
In August 2007, Zodiak Television AB announced that they brought a 75% majority stake in Ukraine-based production company YS Films and placed it under their Russian subsidiary Dixi Media.[11] A few days later they announced that they brought British television production company Bullseye TV with the latter's distribution arm folded into Zodiak's international division with Zodiak moving its international business from its home of Copenhagen to London.[12]
On October 8, 2007, Zodiak Television announced that they had acquired 35% stake in Indian independent production company Sol, marking Zodiak Television's expansion outside of Europe and the first time Zodiak entered the Indian television industry.[13] On March 30, 2010, Zodiak announced that they increased their stake in Indian-based production company by acquiring 51% stake in the company.[14]
In November 2007, Zodiak Television AB announced that they brought Damon Pattison's new production company Lucky Day Productions and placed it under their UK operations.[15]
In May 2008, Italian-based holding and publishing company De Agostini who owns French-based production and distribution company Marathon Group and Magnolia, announced that they had acquired Swedish production and distribution company Zodiak Television AB with Zodiak Television AB merged with Marathon Group and Magnolia into one global production and distribution company turning Zodiak from a European production empire to a single entertainment powerhouse.[16] By November 26 of that same year, Zodiak Television AB announced that they're being rebranded and renamed by changing the company's name to Zodiak Entertainment moving the group into the global television content market with the company having its head offices in Paris and London along with the aim of acquiring more production companies.[17]
In October 2009, Zodiak Entertainment announced that they're expanding their UK operations by taking the acquisition in British factual and drama specialist indie production company Dangerous Films.[18]
In June 2010, Zodiak Entertainment had announced that they're acquiring UK-based independent production and distribution company RDF Media Group bringing together Zodiak Entertainment's operations with those of RDF Media Group as David Frank the former CEO of RDF becoming CEO of the enlarged Zodiak Entertainment group.[19]
In December 2010, Zodiak Media Group announced that they launched a new global digital unit named Zodiak Active a new global division that was dedicated to creation, production and development with two existing companies Neo Network and RDF Contract being interrogated and merged into the new division.[20]
On February 24, 2011, Zodiak Media Group had announced that they're launching a children's TV production subsidiary that can specialise its family and youth programs called Zodiak Kids with their existing four kids productions companies along with the Kids & Family sales division of Zodiak Rights being united into one company.[21]
On July 28, 2011, Zodiak Media Group announced that they acquired British-based independent producer Bwark Productions, thrust further expanding its British operations in that country.[22]
In January 2012, as part of the wider strategy to strengthen its group operations and dive into future development, Zodiak Media Group announced that they were rebranding the company again this time they changed their name to just Zodiak Media.[23]
In July 2012, Zodiak Media announced that their consolidating their production operations in the United States by launching their new division named Zodiak Americas.[24]
In July 2015, Banijay Group and Zodiak Media announce their merger.[25] The merger is effective on February 23, 2016.[26] The acquisition resulted in Banijay Group becoming one of the world's leading content producers.[27]
Zodiak Nederland (formerly known as Palm Plus) was a Dutch television production company that was founded in 1992 by Ruud van Breugel and became a division of Zodiak Media in 2008.
Zodiak Los Angeles was founded in 2006 by the British entertainment company and parent company of RDF Television called the RDF Media Group straight under the name RDF USA. After the merger between the British company RDF Media Group and the French entertainment company Zodiak Entertainment along with the rebranding the latter to Zodiak Media Group, Zodiak announced that they merged Zodiak Entertainment US with RDF USA and renamed it as Zodiak USA.[28]
RDF Television is a British independent television production company that was founded in 1993 by David Frank.
In April 2006, RDF Media Group had announced that they had brought rival Cardiff-based Welsh poker television production company Presentable.[29]
In August 2006, RDF Television under their parent company RDF Media Group announced that they had acquired Kent-based children's television producer The Foundation.[30]
Among the programs produced by Zodiak Media: Being Human, the supernatural series produced for the BBC and SyFy US; Wallander; the Millennium Trilogy; the French series Sous le soleil, and Versailles, in co-production with Capa and Incendo for Canal+.
Zodiak Media is also the originator of the formats Koh-Lanta, Fort Boyard (Adventure Line Productions), Sing If You Can, Killer Karaoke, The Secret Millionaire, The Best Singers (Swedish), and Location, Location, Location.
Zodiak Kids' catalogue includes programs such as Waybuloo, Totally Spies!, Rekkit Rabbit, Mister Maker, and Gormiti.