ITV invests in French indie

ITV has acquired a majority stake in French production group Tetra Media Studio.

The indie, headed up by chief executive Jean-François Boyer, is responsible for dramas such as Walter Presents acquisition Les Hommes de l’Ombre, known in the UK as Spin, and Profilage.

Last year, it produced 161 hours of content last year across seven production labels including Tetra Media Fiction and recently established Gedesel.

The deal means that ITV Studios Global Entertainment will have the distribution rights to the majority of Tetra’s series.

Tetra will continue to operate as an independent production company but will be overseen by a board including ITV Studios president of international Maria Kyriacou, ITV Studios France president Franck Firmin-Guion and Boyer.

ITV Studios France will continue to sit independently of Tetra focusing on the development and production of ITV Studios and Talpa formats locally.

Kyriacou described the company as “one of the most in-demand producers of drama in France”.

While being “absolutely grounded in French culture” she said the company has “appeal well beyond its geographical borders.”

“Combining [Tetra’s] success with ITV’s international infrastructure will make the most of the commercial value of Tetra’s IP, whilst continuing to support the development and production of great content for the French market,” she added.

Boyer said the company shared “the same artistic ambitions” as ITV.

“This alliance is very stimulating for all our producers and all the talent we work with, because thanks to the strength of the ITV group we will be able to make French creations spread throughout the world,” he added.