Mediawan to Acquire The North Road Company, Creating a New Global Independent Content Platform

Audio By Carbonatix

PARIS & LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 30, 2026--

Mediawan, the leading independent European studio led by Pierre-Antoine Capton, co-founded by Capton, Xavier Niel and Matthieu Pigasse, today announced the signing of an agreement to acquire The North Road Company (“North Road”), the preeminent independent U.S.-based studio founded by Peter Chernin. The combination creates one of the world’s largest independent studios with major creative hubs in the five continents and capabilities spanning all genres, formats and audiences. Together, Mediawan and North Road will have a stronger ability to accelerate the development of powerful IP, foster fresh creative synergies through format adaptations and co-production opportunities, and deliver ever greater value to viewers, talent and partners worldwide.

The acquisition brings together two of the most dynamic independent studios in the sector with world-class creative talent, premium IP, and the scale to deliver content at the highest level. In an industry undergoing significant consolidation, the combined group will be a leading creative partner to the world’s major studios and global streaming platforms. Together, Mediawan and North Road will operate nearly 100 individual production companies representing over $2 billion USD in annual production volume across 15 countries, including the U.S., France, Germany, U.K., Italy, Spain, Australia, Mexico, and Turkey supported by a global distribution footprint.

North Road will serve as Mediawan’s North American hub. North Road’s leadership teams, labels, and creative partnerships will remain in place, ensuring full creative continuity while unlocking new opportunities and fostering faster creative synergies across the broader group. Peter Chernin will join the Board of Mediawan and will serve as Non-Executive Chairman of The North Road Company. Scott Manson will become CEO of The North Road Company. Jenno Topping will remain President of Chernin Entertainment. 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; Perro Azul in Mexico City and Karga Seven in Istanbul.

This acquisition follows Mediawan’s first North American investment in 2022, Plan B Entertainment, which will continue to operate with full global creative independence under the leadership of Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner.

The combined group is behind globally successful and award-winning titles and some of the most watched content around the world: Adolescence, Slow Horses, New Girl, One Day, HPI, Call My Agent!, Miraculous, Love Is Blind, Chief of War, Bad Boy, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and Who Killed Sara? as well as major feature films such as F1, Ford v Ferrari, The Count of Monte Cristo, the Planet of the Apes franchise and L’Amour Ouf.

Pierre-Antoine Capton, co-founder and CEO of Mediawan Group, said:

“Over the past decade, Mediawan has grown from a French independent studio into one of Europe’s leading global content groups. Our success is reflected in the strength of our IP and the ambition of our upcoming slate.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.”

Peter Chernin, founder of The North Road Company, 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.”

Élisabeth d’Arvieu, Mediawan’s Group Chief Content Officer, said:

“Bringing Mediawan and North Road together creates a uniquely powerful creative platform across all genres, scripted and unscripted, film and series, documentaries and animation. With talent and premium IP at the center, we have the scale to develop ambitious stories and build global franchises with the world’s leading creators, studios and platforms. This will allow accelerating co-productions, generating new synergies within the Group, creating a new bridge between the American and European industries.”

Scott Manson, CEO of The North Road Company, said:

“Combining with Mediawan provides us the scale and resources to compete at the highest level globally. We look forward to continuing to be a top supplier of content to our studio and streamer partners, while also leading the industry forward with new business models alongside Pierre-Antoine and our forward-thinking partners at Mediawan.”

Transaction Details

The combined group led by Pierre-Antoine Capton will be headquartered in Paris with Mediawan’s governance and control remaining unchanged. Élisabeth d’Arvieu will become Group Chief Content Officer, leading the group’s global content strategy across scripted television and film, unscripted and reality, documentaries, animation and emerging formats.

The combined entity is backed by leading global investors, including Mediawan’s strategic partner KKR, as well as Qatar Investment Authority, Providence Equity Partners, The Raine Group, Bpifrance, and Mediawan co-founders Xavier Niel and Matthieu Pigasse. North Road shareholders, founders, and management team will become significant minority Mediawan shareholders. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals, with closing expected in H1 2026.

The Raine Group and Centerview Partners served as financial advisors to Mediawan. Latham & Watkins LLP and Mayer Brown served as legal counsel to Mediawan and FGS Global served as communications counsel to Mediawan. Moelis & Company LLC and PJT Partners, Inc. served as financial advisors to North Road. Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP served as legal counsel to North Road.

About The North Road Company

The North Road Company was established in 2022 by Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Jesse Jacobs. The company brings together several prominent media entities, including Chernin Entertainment (a leader in scripted television and film production), Kinetic Content, the top reality production company, and Words + Pictures (the premium documentary studio). Since its launch, North Road has expanded its portfolio with the creation of an independent scripted television studio, North Road Television Studio, and acquisitions of Little Rooms Films (established by Jason Hehir), the Turkish production company Karga Seven, and the Mexican production company Perro Azul. North Road is also a strategic investor in notable ventures, including Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, Questlove and Black Thought’s Two One Five Entertainment, NBA star Chris Paul’s Ohh Dip!!! Productions, and GenAI content studio Promise, led by George Strompolos.

More on The North Company portfolio:

Chernin Entertainment Film, led by President David Ready, is behind critically acclaimed films including the Academy Award-nominated Ford v Ferrari, Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated Hidden Figures, Golden Globe winner The Greatest Showman, Spy, The Heat, and the Planet of the Apes franchise. Recent productions include Back in Action, one of Netflix’s biggest movie debuts in years, the Fear Street trilogy, Slumberland, and Luther: The Fallen Sun. The upcoming film slate includes Apex, 11817, Luther 2, Heartland, Big Fix for Netflix, Altar and The Backrooms with A24, and multiple projects under its new first-look deal at Apple TV+.

Chernin Entertainment Television,led by Co-Presidents Kaitlin Dahill and Tracey Cook, produced the acclaimed Apple TV+ limited series Chief of War, Truth Be Told, See, the chart-topping Netflix series The Madness with Colman Domingo, and the hit Fox comedy series New Girl. High-profile series in production include Kennedy starring Michael Fassbender, The Age of Innocence based on Edith Wharton’s novel, and Man on Fire starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

Kinetic Content,led by Chris Coelen, creator of Love Is Blind, produces Netflix’s most-streamed reality series in history. The company also produces many of today’s biggest reality formats, including The Ultimatum, Perfect Match, and Married at First Sight.

Words + Pictures, the documentary studio led by Connor Schell, creator of ESPN’s 30 for 30, produced the award-winning Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, which earned PGA, BAFTA, and Critics Choice honors. The studio is a top supplier of documentary content to global streamers with projects including Court of Gold, The Yankees Win, Celtics City, and The Kingdom.

North Road Television Studio,led by Amy Israel, is in production on The Body from showrunner Quinn Shepherd at Netflix, and has invested in multiple local-language series, including Emmy-nominated Bad Boy, the most-watched Middle Eastern series of 2025 and the most-watched Israeli show in Netflix history.

Perro Azul, based in Mexico City, is best known for producing Netflix’s most watched show ever produced in Latin America, Who Killed Sara?.

Karga Seven, based in Istanbul, is best known for the English-language period piece Rise of Empires: Ottoman and the Turkish-language time travel drama Midnight at the Pera Palace, both of which were made for Netflix and reached number one in Turkey and charted on Netflix’s Global Top 10.

About Mediawan

Created in late 2015 in France by Pierre-Antoine Capton, Xavier Niel, and Matthieu Pigasse, Mediawan has grown over the past decade from a French independent studio into one of Europe’s leading global content groups, built around a simple model: backing exceptional creative talent, scaling premium IP, and operating across the full value chain — from production to distribution and thematic channels.

Mediawan’s portfolio spans scripted series, feature films, unscripted, documentaries and animation, with a proven ability to create and deliver premium, internationally resonant stories across multiple languages and markets. Today, the Group produces more than 400 titles each year across drama, unscripted, documentary, cinema and animated original content — including major successes such as F1, the movie, the multi-Emmy Award-winning series Adolescence, Slow Horses, Miraculous, and one of the most adapted series worldwide Call My Agent!. Mediawan is home to more than 80 production labels across 13 countries, including Plan B Entertainment (U.S./U.K.), See-Saw Films (U.K./Australia), Miraculous Corp (U.S./France), LEONINE Studios (Germany), Palomar and Our Films (Italy), Drama Republic and Misfits (U.K.), Submarine (Netherlands/U.S.), Boomerang and Good Mood (Spain), and leading French labels, including Chapter 2 and Chi-Fou-Mi.

Mediawan has also built a global distribution and rights platform through Mediawan Rights and LEONINE, with a catalogue of more than 30,000 hours of programming and continues to expand its multi-format capabilities across animation, digital content, and emerging formats, and is also operating 27 SVOD, AVOD and FAST channels. This scale, combined with a talent-first approach and strong relationships with major global platforms and studios, positions Mediawan as a uniquely integrated premium independent studio — capable of producing at the highest level while preserving full creative independence.

View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260130062902/en/

CONTACT: Press contacts

Mediawan:

[email protected]

The North Road Company:

[email protected]

KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA GERMANY LATIN AMERICA AUSTRALIA FRANCE AUSTRALIA/OCEANIA MEXICO UNITED STATES UNITED KINGDOM CENTRAL AMERICA NORTH AMERICA EUROPE SPAIN TURKEY ITALY

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT TV AND RADIO

SOURCE: Mediawan

Copyright Business Wire 2026.

PUB: 01/30/2026 07:32 AM/DISC: 01/30/2026 07:32 AM

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260130062902/en