Canada’s Amcomri Entertainment acquires Flame Media

Top: Robert Price, Jonathan Ford
Bottom: Fiona Gilroy, John Caldon OAM.

Amcomri Entertainment Inc. has acquired the assets of UK -Australian TV production and distribution company Flame Media, a global distributor and library owner of factual and documentary TV content.

The deal comes approximately 15 months after the passing away of Flame Media founder and CEO John Caldon OAM.

Flame Media has approximately 2,200 hours and more than 500 titles of high-end factual programming in its content library.

Flame will be operated by Amcomri’s TV content distribution business Abacus Media Rights (AMR) and the team will report into AMR’s Managing Director Jonathan Ford.

“We have the utmost admiration for the high-quality business and senior management team that Mr. Caldon assembled over the previous 12 years,” said Robert Price, CEO of Amcomri. “This acquisition, fully aligned with our buy-and-build growth strategy, strengthens our global offering in the factual and documentary TV content distribution and library markets, building on the remarkable success we have enjoyed in those sectors through our subsidiary, Abacus Media Rights. “

Jonathan Ford said, “This is an exciting time for the company. Flame is a well-respected and established business with a fantastic catalogue that complements our portfolio; Representing both scripted and unscripted content. Key staff from Flame Media will continue to work within Abacus Media Rights to enable a seamless transition and to ensure that buyers and producers alike continue to receive the highest level of service they’ve grown accustomed to at Flame.”

Flame Media’s Content Sales and Acquisitions Director, Fiona Gilroy, said “Abacus have a very similar ethos to Flame and really understand what is needed to be a successful distributor in today’s environment. They are keen to work with producers at all stages of production as Flame has been and to help bring finance plans together for new productions. With support from the Amcomri Entertainment Group, they are well placed to do this.”

Key Flame Media titles include Outback Truckers and Outback Opal Hunters from Prospero Productions, The Moors Murders from MAP TV, and Life in Colour with David Attenborough from Humble Bee Films and SeaLight Pictures, with new titles in production including New Zealand from a Train by Making Movies and Ningaloo with Tim Winton by Artemis Productions. These will join hit AMR programmes including Sort Of, Vikings: The Rise And Fall, Four Hours At The Capitol, The Missing Children, This Is Joan Collins, Epstein’s Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell, The Masked Singer and Evolve.