Disney+ and Apple TV+ deals help turbocharge Shardlake maker
The completion of shows for Disney+ and Apple TV+ helped turnover at a London production company jump by more than £55m, it has been revealed.
The Forge Entertainment, which delivered Shardlake to Disney+ and The Buccaneers to Apple TV+, has reported a turnover of £71.1m for the nine months to the end of 2023.
The firm has filed its accounts for the period long after Companies House‘s deadline of 30 September, 2024.
The total for the nine months compares to the turnover of £14.2m The Forge Entertainment reported for the 12 months to 31 March, 2023.
The first season of The Buccaneers was released on Apple TV+ in November 2023 and was reviewed a month later for a second season. Shardlake was released on Disney+ in May 2024.
The newly-filed accounts also show that The Forge Entertainment’s pre-tax loss declined from £11.2m to 10.6m.
As well as Shardlake and The Buccaneers, the company is behind other TV shows such as Generation Z, Ackley Bridge, Roadkill, The Accident and National Treasure.
The company’s UK turnover increased from £12.9m to £19.5m while its sales to the USA surged from £1.2m to £51.6m.
A statement signed off by the board said: “The success of the group is dependent on the successful selling and production of television programmes and the recruitment and retention of key talent in order to achieve this aim.
“As part of its growth strategy, the group continues to diversify its portfolio of customers to take advantage of opportunities available, both in linear and non-linear broadcast channels.”
The Forge Entertainment is owned by Banijay, the production company behind Masterchef and Would I Lie To You.
In October 2024, Morning Wire reported that the UK arm of the wider France-headquartered group made a pre-tax loss of £53.4m for its latest financial year.
The total came after the business posted a pre-tax loss of £24.9m in 2022.
Accounts also showed that its revenue fell from £321.1m to £294.7m over the same 12-month period.