EXCLUSIVE: ITV Studios is main the race to put money into Hartswood Movies, the storied British scripted producer behind hits together with Sherlock and The Satan’s Hour.
Hartswood put itself up on the market final 12 months and trade sources mentioned ITV Studios is the favourite to finish a deal, bolstering a scripted roster that features World Productions and Huge Discuss Studios.
Deadline understands that Jonathan Norman, Managing Director of know-how at funding financial institution Houlihan Lokey, has been advising Hartswood. The corporate explored partial funding and a full sale.
Hartswood was based in 1979 by Beryl Vertue, the legendary British TV producer who died aged 90 in 2022. The corporate is now majority-owned by her two daughters: Debbie and Sue.
Hartswood made British tv reveals together with Males Behaving Badly, whereas more moderen success tales embody Inside Man for the BBC/Netflix and Amazon Prime Video’s The Satan’s Hour.
Hartswood is probably finest related to Sherlock, the long-lasting BBC collection starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.
Sherlock final aired in 2017, however discuss of the present returning in some type has by no means dimmed. Mark Gatiss, who co-created the collection with Hartswood’s Inventive Director Steven Moffat, advised Deadline this week that he could be keen on making a film.
“We’d prefer to make a movie however making an attempt to get everybody collectively may be very troublesome,” he mentioned on the Olivier Awards. “You’ll must ask Benedict and Martin.”
ITV Studios has lengthy been acquisitive within the international manufacturing area and a supply mentioned the corporate had $1.3B “burning a gap” in its pocket after backing out of buying All3Media final 12 months.
Hartswood’s earnings for the 12 months to March 2023 confirmed a considerable decline in income, although the producer’s administrators — together with the Vertue sisters and Moffat — mentioned they had been “very glad” with the outcomes.
Gross sales stood at £29.7M ($37M), down practically 40% from £49.1M the earlier 12 months. Pre-tax earnings had been up 39% to £7.8M, in keeping with a submitting on the UK’s Firms Home register.
ITV Studios, owned by UK broadcaster ITV, posted document revenues of £2.2B in 2023. EBITA elevated 10% to £286M. The studio has a plan to develop 5% a 12 months by 2026.
Current hits embody Quay Road Productions’ Idiot Me As soon as, which grew to become Netflix’s eighth most-watched authentic on document earlier this 12 months.
ITV Studios and Hartswood declined to remark.
