SA’s Trace Studios partners Media Ranch

Recently formed Trace Studios in South Africa has formed a global distribution partnership with Montreal-based format production and distribution company Media Ranch.

Trace Studios was formed earlier this year following Trace’s acquisition of Cape Town-based Okuhle Media Studios, which was merged with Trace’s content production and distribution operations.

Media Ranch will now distribute Trace Studio’s formats, which include South African reality shows 2 Weddings & a Superstar and The Ultimate Braai Master. Its paper formats include the reality series Any Objections? and Trendsetters.

The deal was brokered by Barbara Bellini, Trace’s senior international consultant. It follows similar agreements between Media Ranch and companies such as DR in Denmark and FormatEast in South Korea.

Trace was created in France in 2003 and describes itself as an Afro-urban platform for youth entertainment, with a portfolio that includes 26 TV channels and a streaming platform.

Sivan Pillay, the former Endemol Shine Africa boss who became CEO of Trace Studios in January, said: “We look forward to a long-term mutually beneficial relationship where we can break new ground and continue in our pursuit to create more opportunities for African based IP.”

tagged in: Media Ranch, Trace Studios