Videoage International April 2018

4 World April 2018 V I D E O A G E Mediawan RacksUp MediaGroups M ediawan, the new kid on the French media block, is relentlessly pursuing its announced 1.5 billion euro (U.S.$1.85 billion) acquisitions. Mediawan was incorporated in December 2015 as a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) for the purpose of acquiring companies in the traditional and digital media content and entertainment industries in Europe. The company was formed by Pierre-Antoine Capton, Xavier Niel, and Matthieu Pigasse, and raised 250 million euro (U.S.$308 million) in April 2016 from an initial public offering on the Euronext Paris. Euronext is the first pan-Europeanexchange, spanning Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the U.K. InMarch2017,Mediawanspent about 270 million euro (U.S.$332 million) to acquire Groupe AB, an owner of television channels and producer of television programs in France, Belgium, and Switzerland. The operation was partially financed by a 130 million euro (U.S.$160 million) bank loan. In July 2017, it acquired French production company Clarke Costelle & Co., and, in December of the same year, it acquired animation producer ON Kids & Family for 100 million euro (U.S.$123 million). This past January, it also acquired EuropaCorp Television’s business (excluding U.S. series). EuropaCorp has had a string of successes in France and internationally with titles including XIII , No Limit , Les Bleus , and Taxi Brooklyn . Also in January, Mediawan purchased a majority stake in the Makever group, through the acquisition of shares held by investors. Makever is a major player in the French drama production sphere. The French SPAC is now in negotiations to acquire 60 percent of Mon Voisin Pro- ductions, which was created by Dominique Besnehard and Michel Feller. The company is known for the popular French TV comedy series, Call My Agent . A golden statue of Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced founder of The Weinstein Co., wearing a silk robe, holding an Oscar, and sitting on a golden chaise lounge, was erected in Hollywood on March 2, just two days before the Academy Awards. The statue, called “Casting Couch,” is located near the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and it’s the product of a two-month collaboration between British street artists Plastic Jesus and Garfield Heights, Ohio-native Joshua “Ginger” Monroe, famous for the naked Donald Trump statue. Weinstein, 65, has been accused by dozens of women of sexual misconduct, including rape. He was fired from the company that bears his name, banned from the Producers Guild of America, and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Weinstein Makes The Walk of Fame In a Statuesque Robe