MUMBAI: FremantleMedia has increased its stake in Divimove to make it the majority shareholder.
The leading MCN in Europe and the global production company have been working together since late 2013 when FremantleMedia initially took shares in the company. The companies joined forces to discover, produce and promote new talent in the online space.
Over the last 18 months, Divimove has experienced major growth, becoming the leading MCN in Europe with 900 million views per month. Its 1,700 partner channels attract 80 million. The partnership has resulted in the launch of Shootrs, a talent programme which combines the professional production expertise of FremantleMedia with Divimove’s content creators and online video expertise.
Shootrs was launched with the FremantleMedia companies UFA in Germany and Blue Circle in the Netherlands in 2014; and will see the continued rollout across Europe in 2015.
Divimove CEO Brain Ruhe said, “For us, the development and support of talent is at the centre of our business and we’re delighted that we have found a partner who has the same values. Working with FremantleMedia has given us the opportunity to invest even more in our creators and develop new ways to grow their careers. We will continue to do so as we expand our relationship.”
FremantleMedia digital and branded entertainment CEO Keith Hindle added, “Divimove‘s amazing growth is a result of an exceptional team and a great roster of content creators. Divimove work with really exciting emerging talent across multiple markets, which fits our global TV production business well, and we look forward to working with them even more.”
Another key initiative from Divimove has been the launch of brandboost, set up to answer the huge demand for online video solutions from brands in Europe. Last year FremantleMedia and Divimove worked together to create successful branded entertainment campaigns across Europe for major brands including Deutsche Bahn and Ubisoft.
In 2015, Divimove has already launched a fully-fledged talent management agency headed up by the recently appointed Michael Brycz, former managing director (Central Europe) for Warner Music; Brycz is tasked with exploring opportunities for the MCN’s talent in new areas such as live events and music.
The deal builds on FremantleMedia’s already substantial success in the digital space.
