Fremantle has launched a sports activities hub and signed Banijay’s ex-commercial boss to run it.
Owain Walbyoff will lead Fremantle Sports activities, which can deal with unscripted and factual documentaries, together with new digital codecs about sport.
Walbyoff’s London-based hub will look to staff with rightsholders and types, and strike first look and co-production offers. He’s the one worker working solely on Fremantle Sports activities and the brand new unit is not going to be pushing into dwell sports activities however fairly sports activities exhibits. Walbyoff left Fremantle rival Banijay, which has additionally been pushing into sports activities and dwell occasions, final yr after three-and-a-half years as Chief Industrial Officer.
Fremantle cited examples of sports activities content material it already produces corresponding to 72 Movies’ All Or Nothing for Prime Video, Wildside’s My Identify is Francesco Totti for Sky and Fremantle Australia’s Matildas: The World At Our Ft for Disney+.
Fremantle mentioned the brand new international sports activities leisure unit was spearheaded by Amelia Brown, CEO Fremantle UK; Gabriella Carriere, Group Head of Technique; Georgette Schlick, CEO Fremantle Northern Europe; Jeff Hasler, President Unique Productions; and Mark Reynolds, World Head of Documentaries and Factual.
Fremantle CEO Jennifer Mullin mentioned: “Increasing our sports activities capabilities is an thrilling subsequent step in our development technique, following the profitable blueprint that has delivered continued development throughout our Drama & Movie and Documentaries pillars. We sit up for offering international audiences with compelling sports activities storytelling and sports activities codecs that interact the passions and needs of followers world wide.”
