Narrative Capital acquires Sony UK TV channel portfolio
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Joseph O'Halloran
| 16 May 2021
In a move involving what are said to be the largest free-to-air commercial channel portfolios in the country for films and kids’ content, US media investment firm Narrative Capital has purchased Sony Pictures Television’s portfolio of free-to-air broadcast television channels in the UK.

SOny TV Daniel Levin 3 16 May 2021Looking at the deeper context of the deal, traditional broadcast TV remains the most commonly viewed video format in the UK and the country’s media market is a perennial global leader, consistently among the top 10 advertising markets worldwide. The SPT movies portfolio is the largest free-to-air network of movie channels in the UK while the kids’ portfolio is seen as the largest commercial network of kids channels in the UK. Collectively, they offer over 6,400 hours of content available on Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media and Freesat.

The seven channels acquired by Narrative include Sony Movies, Sony Movies Action, Sony Movies Classic, Sony Channel, POP, Tiny POP and POP Max, as well as their digital assets. Thirty-five channel employees in the UK will remain in London under the new Narrative Entertainment banner. The POP brand of channels offers over 1,400 total hours of programming and features popular long-established brands such as Pokémon, My Little Pony and Care Bears, along with hit shows such as Alvinnn!!! And the Chipmunks, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir and PJ Masks. The POP audience is aimed at kids ages 6-10; Tiny POP is for pre-schoolers 3-6; and Pop Max is for boys 6-10.

The movie and entertainment portfolio offers a combined 5,000+ hours of licensed programming across the channels. The flagship Sony Movies channel offers a broad mix of theatrical blockbusters, contemporary hits and cult film favourites. Sony Movies Action and Sony Movies Classic offer a selection of films for fans of these genres, while Sony Movies Christmas is the UK’s most watched seasonal channel. Series-led Sony Channel celebrates nostalgia with a mix of timeless TV drama franchises and gameshows. Films on offer across the portfolio of channels include Blade Runner 2049, Fury, Prometheus, Baby Driver, Unstoppable, The Graduate and Our Man In Havana.

Narrative says that it will now evolve brand and merchandising partnerships around kids deals and explore opportunities for the movies and entertainment portfolio, while also building on existing digital assets across the portfolio to increase reach and capture audiences on a variety of devices. It added that there has been an increased digital presence with the rollout of the POP Player AVOD TV and mobile app, web destinations and YouTube channels.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but commenting on the deal which he lead on behalf of his company, Narrative CEO Daniel Levin (pictured) said: “Narrative’s range of activity all along the life cycle of content makes this a terrific match. Sony Pictures Television’s UK free-to-air broadcasting business has long stood out to us as a hub for creator, brand and technology interaction, which is something we look for. What an exciting opportunity to rebrand with a dynamic, confident voice that welcomes new viewers to celebrate the ease, spontaneity and connection of broadcast television. We’re thrilled to welcome these channels and the staff into the Narrative family.”

The deal was lead on the ground in the UK by Remy Minute, the founder and CEO of CSC Media Group and who will be stepping in as CEO to help transition the business out of Sony and set it up for independent success.