WTFN launches Radar Studios
September 23, 2026



WTFN Group, the Australian independent media company, has announced the launch of Radar Studios – a new, future-facing business that fully integrates its growing digital outfit Radar and traditional TV distributor Fred Media. As a result, both names will make way for the new Radar Studios when it makes its official debut at MIPCOM in October.

Radar Studios will seek to maximising legacy IP as well as prioritising the creation of a new pipeline of Originals.


Structured as a fully integrated studio business from the outset, Radar Studios has three core divisions.

· Network – managing a range of owned and operated FAST and digital channels across all key platforms, some with partners. Examples include Bondi Vet, Real Emergency (pictured) and Untamed

· Distribution – representing a range of owned and third-party content in the international marketplace

· Content – acquiring third-party content, as well as funding, developing and creating new originals for the Channels and Distribution teams

Radar Studios will be led by Chief Commerical Officer Derek Dyson. As part of the merger and re-brand, some of the existing senior team will take on new roles and responsibilities, including Jamie I, who joined Fred Media earlier this year as APAC Sales Manager, who will become APAC Sales & Acquisitions Lead at Radar Studios. In addition, longtime consultant Kate Llewellyn-Jones will continue her remit to find, create and fund innovative new content and partnerships that deliver across the new Studios business.

Dyson commented: “Content supply is one of the major challenges in our business today, so we’ve developed Radar Studios to reduce potential risk and help provide a pipeline for a more sustainable model. We will continue to maximise the enviable legacy IP that we have in the business – most fully-owned by WTFN – and have also recently established a new fund to invest in and acquire high-quality third-party content. But I am most excited about our new Originals strategy and the chance to work closely with WTFN’s recently appointed Head of Development, Michael McDermott, and highly respected Chief Creative Officer, Steve Oemcke. Together, we will use data, trends and market intel that we gather to create new content for a range of global channels and platforms. And we’re thrilled that we already have some game-changing concepts in development.”

“For a while, we have successfully operated with a Total Distribution strategy, aligning the Radar and Fred Media teams to ensure no rights were left on the shelf. However, creating Radar Studios brings full integration and simplifies that message to the market, removing any ambiguity over entry points to our business. We cannot wait to introduce Radar Studios to our existing and potential new partners in Cannes next month and are excited that this re-brand and re-structure puts the building blocks in place to help turbo-charge and support our ambitions for growth,” added Dyson.