Indie production powerhouse Fremantle is pushing hard into sports content with the launch of a new division, Fremantle Sports, to focus on non-scripted and factual documentaries, as well as digital formats, in the wide world of sporting competition.
Owain Walbyoff has been appointed to the new job of director of sports at Fremantle, charged with expanding the company’s sports content offering. The new global sports entertainment unit has been spearheaded by Amelia Brown, CEO Fremantle UK; Gabriella Carriere, Group Head of Strategy; Georgette Schlick, CEO Fremantle Northern Europe; Jeff Hasler, President Original Productions; and Mark Reynolds, Global Head of Documentaries and Factual.
The division will tap production subsidiaries already in the Fremantle fold, including the likes of 72 Films (producers of award-winning sports documentary series All or Nothing for Amazon), Germany’s UFA’s (All or Nothing: German National Team); Fremantle Australia (Matildas: The World At Our Feet for Disney+), and Italy’s Wildside (My Name is Francesco Totti for Sky).
The launch of Fremantle Sports is part of Fremantle’s overall growth strategy, which has seen the company expand its drama and film division — through multiple acqusitions — in a bid to strength its position on the global market.
Fremantle’s parent company, European broadcasting giant RTL, has made growing its content and streaming businesses a priority, to counteract the decline in its traditional commercial TV operations.
“Expanding our sports capabilities is an exciting next step in our growth strategy, following the successful blueprint that has delivered continued growth across our drama & film and documentaries pillars,” said Fremantle CEO Jennifer Mullin in a statement. “We already have a strong offering for the genre, which we are thrilled to be evolving with Fremantle Sports under the expert guidance of Amelia, Gabriella, Georgette, Jeff, Mark and Owain. We look forward to providing global audiences with compelling sports storytelling and sports formats that engage the passions and desires of fans around the world.”