As part of a major push into the international local production business, Warner Bros. International Television Production has acquired a majority stake in BlazHoffski Holding B.V., a leading independent television producer in The Netherlands and Belgium.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Warner Bros. has been looking to acquire local production companies and in 2010 acquired Shed Media in the U.K. The acquisition of a majority stake in BlazHoffski expands that strategy into the Dutch and Belgian markets, which have long been major producers of new formats.
As part of the deal, the studio will distribute BlazHoffski's formats and finished product internationally.
Founded in 1996 by Dan Blazer and Erik van der Hoff, BlazHoffski specialises non-scripted entertainment and reality programming for the major television channels in The Netherlands and Belgium.
It has been responsible for producing such successful shows as Hello Goodbye, Figure it out, and Intensive Caring.
As part of its strategy of operating local production companies in major markets, Ronald Goes, executive VP and head of Warner Bros. International Television Production noted in a statement, "our objective is to partner with the best possible talent in each key market. BlazHoffski has a strong creative and commercial track record, an excellent management team and outstanding broadcaster relationships. I am certain that, as part of Warner Bros., BlazHoffski will continue do more of what they do best -- create and produce high quality content that can become franchises and be exported to create local versions in other markets around the world."
Taco Ketelaar, CEO, BlazHoffski, added in a statement that "the international appetite for our formats and talent pool has been growing rapidly and the strategic fit with Warner Bros. could not be better in helping us to broaden the roll-out and enhance the international footprint of our properties and to further our growth."
