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Reed Smith advises ITV Studios on its acquisition of Eagle Eye Drama

LONDON – Global law firm Reed Smith has advised ITV Studios, which is part of ITV plc, on its acquisition of a majority stake Eagle Eye Drama, one of the UK’s fastest growing drama producers which was launched in 2018 by Walter Iuzzolino, Jo McGrath and Jason Thorp, the team also behind international drama streaming service, Walter Presents on Channel 4.

Eagle Eye, which has been part of Channel 4’s Indie Growth Fund since 2019, produces a wide breadth of scripted content from original dramas to adaptations of critically acclaimed international series for English speaking audiences, with its slate including a raft of hit returning shows including ITV’s Professor T and Hotel Portofino, Channel 4’s Before We Die and Suspect, as well as The Couple Next Door, which was Channel 4’s biggest ever scripted streaming launch.

As part of the deal, ITV Studios has also acquired a majority stake in the Belgium-based production services company Happy Duck, led by producer and director Dries Vos (Professor T, The Couple Next Door), which services Eagle Eye’s global slate.

The Reed Smith team advising on the deal was led by corporate partners Philip Taylor, Stephen Mooney and Ravi Pattani with support from Caspar Fox, Thomas Baxter, Georgia Crossman and Alexander Pierce.

About Reed Smith

Reed Smith is a dynamic international law firm dedicated to helping clients move their businesses forward. With an inclusive culture and innovative mindset, we deliver smarter, more creative legal services that drive better outcomes for our clients. Our deep industry knowledge, long-standing relationships and collaborative structure make us the go-to partner for complex disputes, transactions and regulatory matters.

For more information, please visit reedsmith.com.

About ITV Studios

ITV Studios is a creator, producer and distributor of world-leading programmes that people can’t get enough of. We connect millions of people every day and shape and reflect the world they live in, we are More Than TV.

ITV Studios is home to some of the best creative minds, crafting over 6,700 hours of original programming across 60 production labels. Our global footprint spans 12 countries including the UK, US, Australia, France, Germany, The Nordics, Italy and the Netherlands and our global distribution business sells our catalogue of 90,000+ hours to broadcasters and platforms around the world.

ITV Studios is part of ITV PLC, which includes the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster ITV and the ad-funded, free streaming home for ITV, ITVX.

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