TF1 completes acquisition of Newen

TF1 has completed the acquisition of the shares in Newen Studios it did not already own following a green light from the French competition watchdog and has confirmed Bibiane Godfroid as president of the production outfit.

Bibiane Godfroid

Godfroid, who was previously head of programmes at commercial broadcaster M6 and worked in senior roles at Fremantle France, Canal+, France 2 and RTL-TVI,

replaces Fabrice Larue, who is leaving the group to pursue other projects.

“I thank Fabrice Larue and his team for having developed one of the flagships of production in France. Over the years, through the acquisition of Telfrance, Capa, 17Juin, Blue Spirit Productions, Tuvalu Media and the establishment of Neweb, Newen has brought together a unique collection of talent, in the different domains of production and the web,” said TF1 CEO Gilles Pélisson.

“I have absolute confidence in Bibiane Godfroid, whose track record and professional qualities are great assets for Newen Group. I with her absolute success in her new mission to further the development of the group, alongside her talented teams, with respect to her editorial freedom and commercial independence.”

TF1 initially announced both that it was taking 100% control of Newen and appointing Godfroid in April this year. The company said that it had grown significantly in 2017 while maintaining its independence, allowing it to maintain relationships with multiple distributors in France and internationally.