The two companies will also exchange local knowledge and expertise in key markets to secure new commissions.
Israeli producer and distributor Keshet International (KI) has entered into a multi-territory agreement with France’s major independent production company, Satisfaction Group, to establish a creative alliance in the non-scripted formats space.
The collaboration aims to create a virtuous circle between KI and Satisfaction Group, fostering the circulation of newly co-created intellectual properties (IPs). Both companies will join forces in developing and producing non-scripted formats, leveraging their production labels and hubs in France, Germany, Israel, the UK, and the US.
This partnership encourages creative teams from both entities to collaborate, share local knowledge, and pool ideas to secure new commissions. KI and Satisfaction Group will co-develop, co-produce, and distribute new formats with international appeal, driven by their shared goal of bringing innovative content to the global TV market.
The agreement also incorporates a “first look” option for both parties on all existing and new non-scripted formats added to each other’s catalogues for potential production. This means that the production companies and hubs of KI and Satisfaction will have a first-look opportunity on any new formats entering each other’s catalogues in each of their own local territories, including Tresor in Germany, and Keshet 12 in Israel.
Commenting on the deal, Keren Shahar, CEO of KI, said: “We are big fans of Arthur’s creativity, his visionary talents, and his entrepreneurial business approach. Keshet International is a formats company at its core, and it didn’t take much to see that we and Satisfaction share the same ethos and ambitions. By launching this exciting creative partnership, we aim to generate and champion a new wave of unscripted creativity together.”
Arthur Essebag, Founder of Satisfaction Group, producer, television host, and the mastermind behind numerous television successes in France and internationally, stated: “Following our recent partnerships with Fulwell 73 and Yes Yes Media, this new alliance with Keshet International, very well known for its creative power will bring another strong partner to shower the market with new co-developed IPs; where, altogether, we will become the hub for independent producers, guardians of creativity and IPs.”
Kelly Wright, MD of Distribution, KI, added: “This partnership feels perfectly timed, given the growing opportunity for non-scripted programming in the market right now. Tresor and our non-scripted team at Keshet Studios are already developing some Satisfaction formats for Germany and the US, while Satisfaction is also looking to acquire some of our existing formats in France. More news to follow soon.”
KI has recently launched an unscripted division of Keshet Studios, following the appointment of Rebecca Mayer and Ben Long as EVP of Unscripted and VP of Unscripted, respectively. Satisfaction has recently ventured into English-language markets with a stake in Yes Yes Media, the company founded by Richard Bacon alongside Elisabeth Murdoch’s Sister Media.
