Vegard Stenberg Eriksen will lead the enlarged Miso Film Norway
Fremantle is overhauling operations in Norway by combining Furia producer Miso Film and the scripted division of Monster.
The result will be Miso Film Norway, with the move described as a “strategic alignment” of its Norwegian labels that aims to create “a stronger, unified brand” that will focus entirely on scripted.
The company will focus on broad-appeal and high-end drama series designed for diverse audiences, and is to be led by Vegard Stenberg Eriksen as managing director.
Eriksen previously produced hit drama Mammon and worked as head of drama at Monster. He also spent more than a decade at public broadcaster NRK and held roles at The Global Ensemble Drama (TGED) and Redpoint Productions.
Stenberg reports into Peter Bose and Jonas Allen, co-chief execs of the Miso Film Group.
Monster, which was founded in 2001, will now focus entirely on entertainment and factual, under the leadership of chief exec Eva Rolland Korshamn.
She will lead a push to increase unscripted formats and original IP, reporting into Georgette Schlick, chief exec of Fremantle Northern Europe.
Miso Film Norway, meanwhile, will look to build on its crime and drama slate that to date has included Witch Hunt, Acquitted and Novel. Greater focus will also be placed on films, with its slate currently including World War II drama Rinnan for Prime Video and TV 2 Norway, scheduled to premiere in 2026.
The label is also developing historical drama Royal Blood with TV 2 Norway, TV 4 Sweden, and TV 2 Denmark.
It was not immediately clear if there would be any job losses as a result of the reorganisation but Schlick said the merger was necessary as the “industry landscape continues to evolve”.
She added: “By combining our two strong Norwegian scripted brands and creating a new dedicated and focused scripted label, we will be able to deliver even greater successes for our clients.
“In this new structure Monster will also be able to focus on their expertise of non-scripted content and deliver new hits. I look forward to rolling out this strategy and have great confidence that both teams will make this work for our business and our clients.”
Bose, chief exec at Miso Film Group, added: “The global market for scripted content has changed significantly, requiring strong local expertise and creative excellence.
“By strengthening Miso Film Norway, we will have a powerful platform to produce a broad slate of productions tailored to our clients. Vegard brings exceptional creative leadership, and we look forward to supporting him and the team as they build on the momentum of our wider business.”
Fremantle’s revenues were revealed yesterday to have decreased by 5.1% year-on-year to €1.35bn (£1.19bn) from January to September, primarily due to lower returns from the US.
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