EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-winning My Octopus Teacher maker Off the Fence (OTF) has found a buyer.
Dutch channel group Insight TV has acquired the 31-year-old production outfit, but OTF’s in-house production arm will be closing, with layoffs likely incoming. Insight declined to comment on the number of roles affected.
Amsterdam-headquartered OTF entered bankruptcy proceedings several weeks back and was looking for a new home away from previous owner ZDF Studios. That process to find one has taken around a month and has now drawn to a close. No financial details were forthcoming this morning.
Insight boss Viktoriia Tkachenko said today OTF will “continue to operate as a distinct brand within the same group, serving as a springboard for further growth, collaboration and innovation.” The pair have previously worked together on the InWild and InTravel channels.
Due to Insight’s “evolving third-party and co-production model,” Insight is closing OTF’s in-house production arm. The pair said that a number of roles have been impacted and both companies are working closely with those affected, with a focus on “long-term opportunity, not reduction.”
Key staff at OTF have been retained with select roles integrated into Insight TV’s commercial, legal, and acquisitions teams. OTF boss Bo Stehmeier is staying on.
“The move brings together clear complementary aspects of both businesses that are crucial in an adapting media environment,” said Stehmeier. “In the very near future, we will be able to offer a complete set of services and partnerships for the factual storytelling community, its audiences and brands. Like OTF, Insight TV is passionate about connecting global audiences through inspiring narratives and authentic real-life content.”
Based in the Netherlands, Insight runs a number of networks and FAST channels including InUltra and InPlus along with working with brands like Red Bull and the BBC.
OTF has made more than 700 hours of shows over the past three decades, the majority in the natural history space. It has been a stalwart of the international factual space, which meant many were shocked by the bankruptcy proceedings, which began after the company ran into financial difficulties amid the tough global market.
The company also built a significant catalog throughout its long history, but truly made international headlines in 2020 when it produced Netflix doc My Octopus Teacher with filmmaker Craig Foster and subsequently won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
Ellen Windemuth launched OTF back in 1994 and initially led the business as CEO, before former Red Arrow Studios International chief Stehmeier returned to the business in 2021 and soon became co-CEO. Windemuth then stepped back to lead WaterBear Network, a streaming service dedicated to the future of the planet. Previous owners of the business include Germany’s RTV Family Entertainment, which held the company between 2000 and 2002.
Tkachenko said: “Both Insight TV and Off the Fence were founded on a shared belief in the transformative power of storytelling and are aligned in their mission to deliver visually stunning, emotionally resonant content to global audiences. Having worked closely together since 2020, particularly across our InWild and InTravel channels, this move deepens our shared commitment to delivering premium factual content on a global scale.”