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Leonine Holding GmbH
FormerlyTele München Group (1970–2019)
Company typePrivate
IndustryMedia
Predecessors
  • Universum Film GmbH (1979–2019)
  • Concorde Film/Filmverleih/Video/Home Entertainment (1980–2019)
Founded27 April 1970; 54 years ago (1970-04-27)
FounderWalter Ulbrich
HeadquartersMunich, Germany
Key people
  • Fred Kogel (CEO)
  • Markus Frerker (COO)
  • Joachim Scheuenpflug (CFO)
  • Bernhard zu Castell (chief distribution officer)[1]
Revenue€286 million[2] (2015)
€56 million[2] (2015)
ParentMediawan
Divisions
  • Leonine Anime
  • Leonine Animation Studios
  • Leonine Audio
  • Leonine Documentaries
  • Leonine Distribution
  • Leonine Kids
  • Leonine Licensing
  • Leonine Production
SubsidiariesSee § Units
Websiteleoninestudios.com

Leonine Holding GmbH (also known as Leonine Studios, and formerly known as Universum Film or Tele München Group, LLC) (German: Tele München Gruppe; TMG) is a German media production and distribution company that is based in Munich.

The activities of Leonine include trade in licenses, investments in television and radio stations and distribution and production of television films and movies.

History

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Tele München Group

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Former logo for Leonine Holding under Tele München Gruppe branding
Headquarters of TMG in Munich

Leonine Holding had its beginnings as the Tele München GmbH was founded on April 27, 1970, by author and producer Walter Ulbrich. It was purchased in 1977 by Herbert Kloiber and his business partner Fritz Buttenstedt. In 1980, the Concorde Filmverleih (Concorde film distribution) was founded and a year later, in 1981, the company acquired along with the cinema operator Hans-Joachim Flebbe several movie theaters in Hamburg, Berlin and Braunschweig.

TMG was partner at the television station Sat.1 in 1985; after a year, the company sold its shares and started the TV station musicbox. In the same year, TMG took over the Munich private radio station Radio Xanadu, which was later renamed to Radio Energy.

In 1987, Silvio Berlusconi’s company Fininvest acquired 50 percent of musicbox. This was the basis for the channel Tele 5. In 1988, Axel Springer Publishing House and CLT became partner at TMG. In 1989, 50 percent from the company were sold to Capital Cities / ABC.

1991 TMG sold its shares in Tele 5 to the Axel Springer Publishing House and in 1992 founded, together with CLT, Bertelsmann, Bauer Media Group and The Walt Disney Company, the TV channel RTL II. In 1995, the television station Tm3 was founded by TMG and the Bauer Media Group.[3]

In 1996, Herbert Kloiber bought back the TMG shares from Capital Cities / ABC, and took over the shares of Bauer Media Group on Tm3. In 1997, TMG participated in the Hungarian private broadcaster TV2.[4]

In 1998, Rupert Murdoch's company News Corporation took over 66 percent of Tm3 and two years later, in 2000, took over Tm3 completely.[5]

On 28 April 2002, the channel Tele 5 was restarted by TMG. TMG launched a streaming service, Filmtastic, in 2017.

In July 2011, Tele München Group announced that they brought 33% in German independent television production company Odeon Film AG. By November of that same year Tele Manchester Group announced that they increased their stake in Odeon Film by acquiring 40% of the company becoming TMG's biggest shareholder in Odeon Film AG.[6]

Leonine Holdings

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In February 2019, it was announced that New York-based American global investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) agreed to purchase Tele Munchen Group, with expected closing in April 2019. At closing, Fred Kogel's appointment as CEO would be effective.[7] Four days later in that same month after KKR had acquired Tele Munchen Group, KKR expanded their German operations by announcing that they've agreed to purchase leading German film production and distribution Universum Film along with two SVOD channels from their local broadcasting company RTL Group and its German division Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland (now known as RTL Deutschland), with the intent to combine the two companies into a new German-based entertainment production and distribution company with Bernhard zu Castell continued to lead the acquired company as their CEO.[8][9]

In late-March 2019 one month after Tele Munchen Group was brought by KKR, Tele Munchen Group had been expanded when their new parent company KKR announced that they had acquired Colonge-based German entertainment television production company i&u TV and had it placed under KKR's expanded German film and television production operations as they were intending to merge TMG and Universum to create a German independent film and television production powerhouse that will include i&u TV with i&u TV's founder and top television presenter Günther Jauch continued to run the acquired company.[10][11] One month later in April of that same year, Tele Munchen Group had been further expanded when their parent company KKR announced that they had acquired Munich-based German film production company Wiedemann & Berg. Wiedemann & Berg would continue its TV arm, W&B Television, as a joint venture with Endemol Shine Germany. Founders Max Wiedemann and Quirin Berg would continue as managing directors of Wiedemann & Berg while adding the position of head of the group's feature film production division.[12][13]

In September 2019, the enlarged Tele Munchen Group announced that they are rebounding themselves with a new name which was called Leonine by their parent company KKR with three main divisions: Leonine Distribution (when the name Leonine was revealed Universum Film AG became Leonine Distribution with their Japanese anime rights division Universum Anime also became Leonine Anime), Leonine Production and Leonine Licensing. The distribution division, consisting of multiple Munich-based film distributors and a home video outlet, as well the company's stakes in RTL II & Tele 5, would be operating under the Leonine Distribution division name as of January 1, 2020. The production division, consisting of film and television production companies, would be grouped under the Leonine Production division, while continuing their separate identities. While under Leonine Distribution, RTL II, Tele 5, & the subscription video on demand services would continue under their current names.[1] Leonine purchased Endemol Shine Group's share of Wiedemann & Berg Television.[14]

In July 2020, Leonine Holding announced that they had established a deal to sell their German free-to-air entertainment channel Tele 5 to American multinational mass media broadcasting company Discovery Inc. (now Warner Bros. Discovery) under their German division Discovery Deutschland to focus on its growing production and distribution activities, with Discovery signing a long-term licensing deal with Leonine for its scripted content.[15][16] Two months later, Leonine Holding announced that they had completed their selling of its German free-to-air entertainment channel Tele5 to American multinational mass media broadcasting company Discovery Inc., under Discovery Inc.'s German division Discovery Deutschland with the channel becoming part of Discovery's German activities.[17]

In December 2020, Leonine Holding and their division Leonine Studios had announced that they had acquired Munich-based German light entertainment television production company SEO Entertainment and become part of Leonine's expanded portfolio with SEO Entertainment remaining in their position as an independent company under Leonine Studios's division Leonine Production whilst SEO Entertainment's managing director Gillad Osterer remained as the managing director of SEO Entertainment and reported to Leonine's CEO Fred Kogel.[18][19]

In May 2021, Leonine announced a deal with Lionsgate to distribute their films in Germany, taking over from StudioCanal.

In July 2021, Leonine Holding along with French audiovisual production and distribution company Mediawan announced a rebranding of their joint venture production division to Mediawan & Leonine Studios and announced it had acquired a majority stake in British drama production company Drama Republic, marking Leonine Holding's first entry into the British television market alongside Mediawan.[20][21]

In March 2022, Leonine Studios had announced that they were restructuring their German-based unscripted television production label by rebranding Odeon Entertainment to Madame Zheng Production with the rebranded company hiring former RedSeven Entertainment executive and co-head of entertainment at Leonine Studios Tina Wagner along with former Red Arrow Studios producer and co-head of entertainment at Leonine, Nina Etspüler, taking over as leadership of the rebranded company.[22][23][24][25]

In May 2022, Leonine Holding announced that their division Leonine Studios had acquired Berlin-based independent entertainment outfit Hyperbole Median becoming part of Leonine's production division, thrust expanding Leonine's film and television production state with Hyperbole Median remaining as an independent production company under Leonine.[26]

In October 2022, Leonine Holding announced that they had brought a 25% minority stake in Munich-based children's animation production and distribution studio Toon2Tango and placed it under their Leonine Studios division, the acquisition marks the first time Leonine entered the animation production industry and had given their own animation subsidiary with Leonine Studios adding development and production of animation IPs to their distribution division.[27]

In July 2023, Leonine signed a distribution deal with Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment to handle their home media releases in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The deal started on October 1, 2023.

On December 18, 2023, Leonine Holding along with its German production powerhouse division Leonine Studios had announced that they were launching an animation studio named Leonine Animation Studios GmbH and announcing that they have taken full control of Munich animation producer Toon2Tango and becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leonine Animation Studios.[28]

In March 2024, Leonine along with its division Leonine Studios announced that they had expanded its production division into the non-scripted genre and announced that they had launched a new documentaries production division named Leonine Documentaries with former Constantin Film executive Jochen Koestler becoming the president of the newly launched documentaries division.[29][30]

In April 2024, it was announced that Mediawan, also backed by KKR, would acquire Leonine, in which it already held a 25% stake since 2020, in an all-stock deal for an undisclosed sum subject to approval from German authorities.[31]

Units

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  • Leonine Licensing

Leonine Distribution

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  • TM Distribution
  • TM International
  • Concorde (Munich) film company[7]
  • Concorde Home Entertainment (Munich)[32]
  • Universum Film movie distribution[33] (former division of UFA GmbH subsidiary of RTL Group)

Broadcasting

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Leonine Holding formerly owned Tele 5 channel, which, since September 2020, is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Subscription video on demand channels

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  • Filmtastic
  • Home of Horror
  • Arthouse CNM[1]

Leonine Production

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  • Clasart Film (Munich)
  • Clasart Television
  • Clasart Classic[32]
  • Odeon Film (85.23%)[34]
    • Odeon Fiction - fictional content for television, cinema and streaming platforms
  • Madame Zheng Productions - reality entertainment, documentaries, and live broadcasts
  • i&u TV (April 2019—)
  • Mediawan & Leonine Studios (joint venture with Mediawan)
    • Drama Republic (51%)
  • SEO Entertainment
  • Wiedemann & Berg Film Production (April 2019—)
    • W&B Television

Other interests

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  • Load Studios - digital media
  • Storied Media Group, media project development and packaging[32]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Barraclough, Leo (20 September 2019). "KKR-Backed German Media Conglomerate Finally Has a Name: Leonine". Variety. Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b "TMG financial year 2015". TMG. 20 July 2016. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  3. ^ "Gesellschafterstruktur" (in German). RTL II. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  4. ^ Ed Meza (6 April 2001). "Tele Munchen revs hit $194 mil on record sales". Variety. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  5. ^ "Tele-München-Gruppe mit Rekordgewinn nach tm3-Verkauf" (in German). Handelsblatt. 5 April 2001. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  6. ^ Briel, Robert (November 22, 2011). "TMG increases stake in Odeon Film". Broadband TV News. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Wiseman, Andreas (February 21, 2019). "German Film & TV Powerhouse Tele München Gruppe Bought By Investment Firm KKR". Deadline. Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  8. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (February 25, 2019). "KKR Continues German Spree With Acquisition Of Key Film Distributor Universum". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  9. ^ Clarke, Stewart (February 25, 2019). "KKR Buys Universum Film, Continues to Build German Business". Variety. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  10. ^ Roxborough, Scott (March 29, 2019). "KKR Buys Third Entertainment Company in Germany". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  11. ^ Krieger, Jörn (March 29, 2019). "KKR acquires German production company i&u TV". Broadband TV News. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  12. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (8 April 2019). "KKR Continues German Buying Spree With 'Never Look Away' & 'The Lives Of Others' Producer Wiedemann & Berg". Deadline. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  13. ^ Barraclough, Leo (April 8, 2019). "KKR Buys 'Never Look Away' Producer Wiedemann & Berg Film". Variety. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  14. ^ White, Peter (November 15, 2019). "Endemol Shine Sells 'Dark' & '4 Blocks' Producer Wiedemann & Berg Television To KKR-Backed Leonine". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  15. ^ Kanter, Jake (July 3, 2020). "Discovery Acquires German Free-To-Air Channel Tele5 From Leonine". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  16. ^ Ravindran, Manori (July 3, 2024). "Discovery Germany Buys Free-TV Channel Tele 5 From Leonine". Variety. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  17. ^ Clover, Julian (September 1, 2020). "Discovery completes Tele 5 acquisition". Broadband TV News. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  18. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (December 18, 2020). "German Studio Leonine Acquires Production Company SEO Entertainment". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  19. ^ Krieger, Jörn (December 18, 2020). "Leonine acquires SEO Entertainment". Broadband TV News. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  20. ^ Kanter, Jake (July 5, 2021). "Mediawan & Leonine Studios Acquires Majority Stake In 'Doctor Foster' & 'The Irregulars' Outfit Drama Republic". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  21. ^ Wittingham, Clive (July 5, 2021). "Mediawan, Leonine buy Drama Republic". C21Media. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  22. ^ Wiseman, Andrea (March 14, 2022). "Leonine Re-Brands Odeon Entertainment As Madame Zheng; Producer Tina Wagner Joins In Re-Structure". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  23. ^ Middleton, Richard (March 15, 2022). "Leonine Studios hires RedSeven exec to run rebranded Odeon Entertainment". TBI Vision. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  24. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (March 15, 2022). "Leonine Rebrands Odeon Entertainment as Madame Zheng to Reflect Equality and Diversity Focus – Global Bulletin". Variety. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  25. ^ Kaminska, Karolina (March 15, 2022). "Leonine Studios rebrands Odeon Entertainment, revamps leadership team". C21Media. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  26. ^ Whittock, Jesse (May 25, 2022). "Leonine Studios Buying Berlin-Based Hyperbole Medien To Expand Production Stable". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  27. ^ Hennekemper, Claudia (October 14, 2022). "LEONINE Studios acquires a strategic minority stake in Toon2Tango". Toon2Tango. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  28. ^ Goldbart, Max (December 18, 2023). "Leonine Launches Animation Division & Ups Stake In Toon2Tango". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  29. ^ Goldbart, Max (March 4, 2024). "Leonine Launches Documentaries Label". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  30. ^ Krieger, Jörn (March 4, 2024). "Leonine Studios launches documentary label". Broadband TV News. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  31. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (28 April 2024). "Mediawan Acquires Leading German Production-Distribution Group Leonine". Variety. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  32. ^ a b c "Activities". Tele München Gruppe. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  33. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (25 February 2019). "KKR Continues German Spree With Acquisition Of Key Film Distributor Universum". Deadline. Archived from the original on 28 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  34. ^ Scott Roxborough (22 November 2011). "Herbert Kloiber's Tele-Munchen Group Ups Stake in Odeon Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
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