BBC Studios is continuing its acquisitions spree in the UK. It has taken full ownership of Voltage TV, the London-based unscripted indie behind British series such as BBC Two’s Inside the Factory, ITV’s DNA Journey and Channel 4’s The British Tribe Next Door.
This marks the first time the BBC’s commercial arm has jumped straight to a 100% stake in a producer. It usually builds stakes over several years before taking full control — a model it used last month to buy drama producer Firebird Pictures.
Among those benefitting from the deal is the Channel 4, whose Channel 4 Growth Fund has owned a minority stake in Voltage in 2015.
Sanjay Singhal and Steve Nam founded Voltage in 2013. They have a pre-established relationship with BBC Studios, which sells DNA Journey as a format internationally, and their indie will sit alongside factual divisions such as The Natural History Unit, Events Production, Factual Entertainment Productions, The Documentary Unit and The Science Unit within BBC Studios. “We’ve admired Voltage for a long time, which is why when the opportunity arose we moved quickly to acquire the business outright,” said BBC Studios CEO Ralph Lee. “The breadth and quality of their slate is a perfect complement to BBC Studios Productions factual entertainment and factual brands.
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