South West law firm Foot Anstey has advised long-standing client independent children’s media company Silvergate Media on its acquisition by global giant Sony Pictures Television (SPT).
London-based Silvergate’s assets include the 2019 BAFTA-winning Netflix children’s animation series Hilda and a 49% interest in a joint venture with Beijing-based Wanda, which holds the rights to Octonauts, pictured, the British kid’s TV series produced by Silvergate Media for the BBC channel CBeebies. 
Lord Waheed Alli remains the CEO of the Silvergate group, which he co-founded in 2011 with Viscount William Astor, who stays as chairman.
Sony has also taken a minority stake in the Silvergate BP Bidco Group, which holds certain Beatrix Potter rights, of which the majority shareholder remains Lord Alli.
Los Angeles-based Shamrock Capital will exit the business under the deal, which is worth a total of $195m (£149m), following its investment in the Silvergate Group in 2016.
Lord Alli said: “We are all excited about joining SPT and the creative teams within the SPT family. 2020 will see a new and strong development slate coming to market with some exciting new series in the pipeline.”
Sony is one of the TV industry’s leading content providers, producing, distributing and carrying programming worldwide in every genre and for every platform.
As well as managing one of the industry’s largest libraries of award-winning feature films, television shows and formats, Sony has a thriving global content business, operating 24 wholly owned or joint-venture production companies in 12 countries, as well as linear and digital channels around the world.
Foot Anstey, which has an office in Bristol, has advised the Silvergate Group since its inception in 2011 when it acquired the rights to Beatrix Potter and Octonauts from Chorion, including Shamrock’s investment in 2016 and the joint venture with Wanda in relation to the Octonauts the following year.
Silvergate Group also has a creative studio in New York, which has built Octonauts into a global success, produced and delivered Sunny Day for Nickelodeon and Hilda for Netflix.
Foot Anstey corporate partner Matt Stoate led the firm’s team advising on the deal.
He said: “It has been a real privilege to be able to work with such ambitious and entrepreneurial business leaders as Waheed, William and the rest of the Silvergate team for the past eight years. We look forward to continuing to support them power the group on to further success.”
Foot Anstey has eight offices, including in London, from which it delivers a full service offering to businesses and high net worth individuals. Its Bristol office, which opened nearly seven years ago with just 10 employees, now has more than 160 staff.
