Harbottle & Lewis advise Objective Productions on acquisition by All3Media

Media and entertainment lawyers, Harbottle & Lewis have advised the shareholders of independent production company Objective Productions on its acquisition by All3Media, an international group of film and TV production and distribution companies. The acquisition will considerably strengthen All3Media's position in the comedy and entertainment sector and is in keeping with its strategy to expand the group and increase output.

Objective Productions was established in 1992 and has quickly become one of the UK's largest independent production companies having produced programmes for a range of broadcasters including Channel 4, the BBC, MTV, Five and ITV. Objective specialises in comedy, entertainment and magic shows and its portfolio includes hits such as Peep Show, Derren Brown, The Real Hustle and Balls of Steel. In recent years it has also produced a number of factual, documentary and current affairs programmes.

All3Media was formed following the acquisition of Chrysalis Group's TV division in 2003 and is now comprised of a group of production companies from across the UK, Germany, The Netherlands, New Zealand and the USA. It also includes an international distribution company, 'All3Media International', which represents third-party producers and broadcasters together with its own production companies.

Working on the deal were Company/Commercial partner Colin Howes, Film and TV partner Medwyn Jones, Tax partner Glen Atchison, Finance partner Alison Wilds and Company/Commercial Senior Associate Rhys Llewellyn. They were assisted by, Jaron McVicar and Michael Lister (Company/Commercial), Dave Scott (Tax), and Amal Phillips (Employment).

Medwyn Jones commented: "We have worked with Andrew O'Connor and Michael Vine since they established Objective Productions as a small start-up, and have seen the company develop and grow into one of the most successful independent production companies in the UK. We are delighted that All3Media have recognised the talent and future potential of Objective Productions, and feel sure that the company will make a significant contribution to the All3Media group."

Colin Howes commented: "As with many of the recent deals in the TV production sector, much of the logic for the acquisition centred on the ability of the acquirer to leverage the value of Objective's content, its people and its reputation with producers, broadcasters and on-screen talent. The process of consolidation in the TV production and distribution sector has accelerated this year, and we have had an involvement in a majority of the transactions in the sector over the last couple of years. We were delighted to deploy that experience for the benefit of Objective's shareholders and wish them well as part of the All3Media group. "

Stuart Duthie, Finance Director, Objective Productions, commented: "In any deal of this nature it is so important to find a legal team who can both deliver sound advice, and make a positive contribution to the ambiance of the total deal. Given the depth of the brief which ranged from commercial, to tax and employment law and the desire to complete the transaction in a timely fashion we were pleased to have Harbottle & Lewis sitting as part of our team."

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16/08/07

Note for Editors

Harbottle & Lewis LLP
Harbottle & Lewis provides specialist advice to the media and entertainment industries. It is consistently recognised as a leading firm in these areas by independent sources.

Firm overview: The firm's work encompasses all areas of media and entertainment, including film, television, broadcasting, sport, music, publishing, advertising, interactive entertainment, fashion and theatre and remains unique in having expertise right across these sectors.

We provide a complete range of commercial advice to our clients, including: buying and selling businesses and companies, joint ventures, finance, capital markets, commercial disputes, property, employment, immigration and tax. Other specialist legal areas include, sponsorship, intellectual property, legal issues relating to media, including defamation, advertising, brand protection, data protection, privacy, art and gaming and gambling as well as private client and matrimonial work. The firm's expertise in other areas such as aviation and charities is also widely recognised.

Much of our work involves the technology, new media and telecoms industries and we have done ground-breaking work in connection with the digital exploitation of content and e-commerce generally. Specialist knowledge and understanding of the entertainment industry and related IP issues enables the firm to identify and deal with the key issues at an early stage, and then negotiate and provide commercially sound legal advice from a position of strength.

Recent work:
In 2006/2007 we have advised on a number of significant deals including:

Acquisition of Minotaur International by Target Entertainment
Joint venture between Channel 4 and Emap plc.
DCD Media acquisition of Prospect Pictures, September Films and West Park Pictures
Acquisitions of Index Books by Penguin and Virgin Books by Random House
Sale of TV production companies Tiger Aspect to IMG Media and Ricochet to Shed Productions
Virgin Active acquisition of Holmes Place
Financing and acquisitions of development houses by SCi/Eidos and Take 2

Other high-profile work includes:

Advising the Royal Household: HRH The Prince of Wales v. Mail on Sunday; all aspects of the staging and organisation of the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium; production, management and broadcast of the
Queen's Children's Garden Party
Acting for Kate Moss on various matters including arrangements for her high-profile endorsement and merchandising arrangements with TopShop
Acting for a number of high profile individuals including Victoria Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Janet Street-Porter on various matters

Issued by: Caroline Renton, Marketing Communications Manager
E-mail: caroline.renton@harbottle.com
Telephone: 020 7667 5231