Media asset financing
Whether you are a borrower, lender, equity financier or another
party interested in the financing arrangements for a media asset,
the issues that arise from a media asset financing transaction can
be complex: the asset itself requires an understanding of copyright
and related rights as well as international licensing, whilst the
financing arrangements require an understanding of how to secure a
borrowing against a media asset. In addition, media asset financing
transactions commonly involve multiple financiers, sometimes with
competing interests.
These interests have to be regulated inter se. With much film
production benefitting from Government support, an understanding of
how to qualify for, and collect under, Government incentive schemes
is essential.
Our service
Whether we are providing legal and business affairs support for
a particular project or advising on complex multi-party,
multi-jurisdictional commercial negotiations, our team has the
depth and knowledge and practical experience to deliver a
commercially astute and effective service.
We understand the nature of media assets and the particular
issues involved in taking or enforcing security over them. We have
significant experience and precedent in regulating the interests of
multiple financiers: through inter-party and inter-creditor
arrangements. Our lawyers have many years experience developing
structures to enable financing arrangements to be implemented over
all manner of receivables from
future payments under distribution contracts to payments under
Governmental incentive schemes.
Our experience
We act for a range of content producers, distributors, sales
agents and financiers both in Europe and in the US. We advise in
relation to finance, production and licensing in all media. Our
work covers complex financing and co-production arrangements for
film, television and other media content in a variety of
structures.
These range from single project financing and slate financing to
the establishment of joint ventures for the production and
distribution of content IP.
Our work covers treaty co-productions, tax-based and other
production incentive schemes, pre-sales and distribution deals and
"gap" finance.
With increasing opportunities for brand investment in content
production, our advertising, production and financing expertise
means we are able to offer a comprehensive service. We have been
involved in ground breaking brand-funded content projects.
Recent examples of our media asset financing expertise
include:
- Acting for a major US independent on the financing and
distribution arrangements for a major feature film project
- Acting for senior debt finance providers on the financing of
several feature film projects
- Advising on production and financing arrangements on a slate of
high budget feature films being produced by a major US studio
- Advising on a joint venture being established by a major US
studio for the creation of television content
- Acting for the promoters of a Middle Eastern based fund in
relation to the establishment of a fund to invest in the production
of film and television content