Lionsgate backs Gogglebox pair’s indie

Lionsgate has invested in Primal Media, the new prodco from Mat Steiner and Adam Wood, the execs behind Gogglebox Entertainment.

Steiner and Wood left Sony-backed Gogglebox earlier this year, leading to the closure of the prodco. Their biggest success to date has been horror gameshow Release the Hounds, which plays on ITV2 in the UK.

They have now resurfaced as Primal Media, with backing from US film and TV firm Lionsgate.

Announcing the deal yesterday, Lionsgate said Primal will work up ideas for the UK from its London base, as well as producing US formats in the UK.

Lionsgate’s sales arm will distribute Primal’s original formats internationally, as the US firm, which is primarily known for drama, looks to move more deeply into entertainment programming.

Lionsgate, which has just acquired Starz in a US$4.4 billion deal, has been ramping up its international M&A activity. Last year it bought into Anne Brogan’s indie Kindle, as first reported by TBI.

Lionsgate Television Group chairman Kevin Beggs (pictured) said: “The deal is a win-win as it provides Mat and Adam the support they need to grow Primal Media, while enabling Lionsgate to enhance our footprint in the UK, to expand the pipeline for our US business and to access a fabulous library of product that can be distributed worldwide.”

Steiner and Wood added in a statement: “While Lionsgate is a global player in the television space, it continues to have an entrepreneurial spirit that aligns perfectly with what we are trying to accomplish as we develop Primal Media into a major player creating both entertainment and factual entertainment formats with global appeal.”