Indie TV Giant Argonon Acquires U.K. Factual Banner Transparent Television

LONDON — Argonon, the independent global production company with outposts in London, New York, Vancouver and Los Angeles, has acquired Transparent Television, the U.K. indie factual TV production banner.

Transparent will be brought into the group just months after Argonon opted to set up the factual production banner BriteSpark Films.

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Producers of a raft of factual programming, Transparent Television has worked with all the major U.K. broadcasters and in 2013 saw two series, Great Northern Cookbook and the recently re-commissioned Botched Up Bodies, air on Channel Five.

Transparent’s other output includes factual documentaries such as Channel Five’s Extraordinary People: The Baby with a New Face, formats including Restoration Roadshow for BBC Two) and features Leslie Ash: Face to Face for commercial web ITV1.

Transparent Television also has a track record in selling formats and programs around the world including deals in the U.S. to Discovery’s TLC, the National Geographic Channel and Ovation.

The deal sees Argonon wholly acquire Transparent Television for an undisclosed sum, and founders Jazz Gowans and Richard Hughes become shareholders in the group.

Operating principally from Argonon’s London headquarters, Transparent also plans to launch in the U.S., through Argonon’s headquarters in New York.

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Argonon CEO James Burstall said: “[The Transparent deal] demonstrates our strategic ambition for the group; to build a world class centre of excellence where the industry finest talents are given a platform to fulfill their creative ambitions. Our unique business model offers Transparent a stake in the future of the group, and creative licence to build on their considerable successes, both in UK and international markets.”

Hughes, joint managing director of Transparent Television said he had spend a year working with Argonon to make sure it  “was the right fit for both of us.”

Gowans, joint managing director of Transparent Television added: “After building Transparent up in an organic way over the last seven years, we’re delighted to become part of the Argonon group. It’s a natural and incredibly exciting next step in our evolution as a company and development as a business.”

Transparent TV’s output complements the output of the other indies within the group which include factual and factual entertainment producer Leopard Films, drama producer Leopardrama and the U.K.’s music and youth producer Remedy Productions.

In North America, Leopard Films USA is responsible for a raft of formats and recently created Remedy Canada has a number of formats in funded development.