What LEONINE does

LEONINE Holding GmbH (LEONINE Studios) is a German independent media company headquartered in Munich (Taunusstr. 21, 80807 München), founded in 2019 by CEO Fred Kogel with private equity investor KKR and subsequently integrated into the Mediawan Group. The company was built through the consolidation of four legacy German media businesses—Tele München Gruppe (TMG), Universum Film, i&u TV, and Wiedemann & Berg Film—and has since added Hyperbole Medien (2022), beetz brothers film production (2022), and a strategic minority stake in animation studio Toon2Tango (2022). Operationally, LEONINE is structured into three business segments: Production (fiction and non-fiction content across brands including Wiedemann & Berg Film, i&u Studios, Odeon Fiction, Madame Zheng Production, SEO Entertainment, Hyperbole Medien, beetz brothers, and Toon2Tango), Distribution (theatrical via Concorde Filmverleih / LEONINE Distribution and home entertainment via a DTC online shop with 300+ titles), and Licensing (rights management for the studio's content library, operated SVOD channels on Amazon Prime Video Channels, plus broadcast distribution through TELE 5 and RTL II participation). The production portfolio includes Oscar-recognized titles (The Lives of Others, Never Look Away), Netflix's first German original series Dark, Amazon originals, and recent international format sales to Finland, France and Spain.

LEONINE generates revenue across multiple streams: production fees and co-production financing from broadcasters and streamers, theatrical box-office distribution, home entertainment hardware and electronic sell-through, advertising via TELE 5 and RTL II participation, licensing royalties on owned SVOD channels, and content licensing to international platforms. The customer base is concentrated among the top German and German-speaking broadcaster/streamer cohort—ARD, ZDF, RTL, ProSieben, Sat.1, Prime Video, Netflix, and Sky Deutschland—anchored by multi-year enterprise licensing agreements (Prime Video from January 2026; Sky Deutschland multi-year) and long-running format supply relationships.

LEONINE maintains distribution partnerships with major US studios (A24 joint label, Lionsgate slate, Miramax titles such as The Beekeeper 2 acquired in March 2026) and pursues international format export alongside its own production slate. Technology infrastructure is conventional for media distribution (streaming, content management, transactional home entertainment e-commerce) without disclosed proprietary platforms or public APIs; Max Wiedemann, Co-CPO Fiction, simultaneously serves as Head of AI for the wider Mediawan Group, signaling that AI capability development is positioned at the parent-group level rather than as a productized LEONINE offering. The company is privately held under KKR founding partnership and majority Mediawan ownership, employs 251–500 staff across Munich and Berlin, and reports group-wide contact infrastructure, multiple production subsidiaries, and a federated brand architecture spanning fiction, non-fiction, animation, kids, anime, audio, and influencer content.

Name

LEONINE

Legal name

LEONINE Holding GmbH

Website

https://leoninestudios.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

LEONINE Studios is a privately held German independent media group operating across content production, theatrical distribution, home entertainment, and content licensing, serving German and international broadcasters and streaming platforms including Prime Video, Netflix, Sky, ARD, ZDF, and ProSieben.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film and Television Production & Distribution

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Distribution (51212), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)

akta.pro primary industry

Live-Action TV Movies, Miniseries & Specials Production (MPADABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Unscripted/Reality TV Production (Live-Action) (MPADABAC)

Keywords

• Film production
• Tv production
• Content distribution
• Content licensing
• Home entertainment

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Film & TV Production: LEONINE generates revenue through producing fiction, non-fiction, and animated content through its portfolio of production companies (Wiedemann & Berg Film, i&u Studios, Odeon Fiction, beetz brothers, Hyperbole Medien, Toon2Tango, Madame Zheng Production, SEO Entertainment). Revenue comes from pre-sales to broadcasters, co-production financing, and production fees.
2. Theatrical Distribution: The company distributes films through German theaters via LEONINE Distribution (Concorde Filmverleih), generating revenue through box office splits and distribution fees.
3. Home Entertainment: Physical and digital home entertainment distribution including DVD, Blu-ray, and electronic sell-through through the online shop and retail partners.
4. Licensing & SVOD Channels: Licensing library content to streaming platforms and operating owned SVOD channels (Filmtastic, Home of Horror, CNMA Arthouse, Cinema of Hearts, Cinemix+, Filmlegen) on Amazon Prime Video Channels.
5. Broadcast Distribution: Content distribution through TELE 5 broadcaster and RTL II participation, generating advertising and licensing revenue.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LEONINE Studios is a German independent media company that produces and distributes premium film, TV, and animated content across the entire value chain. It produces fiction and non-fiction content through a portfolio of production brands, distributes films theatrically in German-speaking territories, sells home entertainment products via its online shop, licenses its content library to streaming platforms and broadcasters, and operates branded SVOD channels on Amazon Prime Video.

Product overview

LEONINE Studios is a German independent media company organized into three main business segments: Production (content creation), Distribution (theatrical and home entertainment), and Licensing (rights management). The Production division encompasses multiple production brands including Wiedemann & Berg Film, W&B Television, i&u Studios, Odeon Fiction, beetz brothers film production, Hyperbole Medien, Madame Zheng Production, SEO Entertainment, Toon2Tango, and Leonine Documentaries. The Distribution and Licensing segments operate under the LEONINE Distribution and LEONINE Licensing brands, handling theatrical releases, home entertainment (DVD/Blu-ray via Online Shop), and content licensing. LEONINE operates branded streaming channels on Amazon (Cinema of Hearts, Cinemix+, CNMA Arthouse, Filmlegen, Filmtastic, Home of Horror, Redlight Cinema) and YouTube (FreeFilms Action, Doku, Emotion), along with direct-to-consumer offerings through its Online Shop and B2B Screening Room platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• beetz brothers film production: Documentary and non-fiction production company with international reach
• Hyperbole Medien
• i&u Studios
• Madame Zheng Production
• Odeon Fiction
• SEO Entertainment
• Toon2Tango
• Wiedemann & Berg Film
• W&B Television
• Clasart Classic
• Home of Talents
• Cinema of Hearts
• Cinemix+
• CNMA Arthouse
• Filmtastic
• Home of Horror
• Filmlegenden
• Redlight Cinema
• FreeFilms

Products and services

• LEONINE Production Content production division encompassing multiple production brands (Wiedemann & Berg Film, W&B Television, i&u Studios, Odeon Fiction, beetz brothers, Hyperbole Medien, Toon2Tango, Madame Zheng Production, SEO Entertainment) producing fiction, non-fiction, and animated content for television, streaming platforms, and theatrical release.
• LEONINE Distribution Theatrical and home entertainment distribution division handling film releases in German-speaking territories, including DVD, Blu-ray, and digital distribution through online shop and retail partners.
• LEONINE Licensing Rights licensing and sales division managing content library exploitation across multiple windows and territories, including multi-year licensing deals with broadcasters and streaming platforms.
• Online Shop Direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform selling home entertainment products including DVDs, Blu-rays, and digital downloads with over 300 titles from LEONINE's distribution catalog.
• Screening Room Professional B2B screening platform for industry stakeholders to preview LEONINE content with user registration, content management, and secure viewing capabilities.
• LEONINE Kids Children's content brand operating on Amazon, distributing animated content including titles like Ninjago Dragons Rising.
• LEONINE Anime Anime content brand operating on Amazon, distributing Japanese animation content to German-speaking audiences.
• Clasart Classic / Met Opera live im Kino Classic content label presenting Met Opera live HD screenings in cinemas across German-speaking territories.
• Home of Talents YouTube talent and influencer network and premium YouTube marketing platform representing content creators.
• Filmtastic Genre film SVOD channel on Amazon Prime Video Germany.
• Home of Horror Horror genre streaming channel on Amazon Prime Video Germany.
• CNMA Arthouse Arthouse and independent film channel on Amazon Prime Video Germany.
• Cinema of Hearts Romance-focused streaming channel on Amazon Prime Video Germany.
• Cinemix+ Family-oriented streaming channel on Amazon Prime Video Germany.
• Filmlegen (Filmlegenden) Classic and legendary films channel on Amazon Prime Video Germany.

Quantifiable outcome

• 170+ productions delivered through Wiedemann & Berg Film alone since founding
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, minor and major.

• Prime VideoflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 March 2026Prime Video in Germany and Austria signed a multi-year deal with LEONINE Studios to acquire movies including The Housemaid, The Drama, and The Hunger Games – Sunrise on the Reaping, starting January 1, 2026. The agreement grants Prime Video exclusive streaming rights within specific windows.
• A24flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 May 2023A24 and LEONINE Studios established a joint label for future releases. Additionally, LEONINE and A24 closed an all-rights deal for Beau Is Afraid. The Iron Claw was released through this partnership.
• Toon2TangocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 October 2022LEONINE Studios acquired a strategic minority stake in Toon2Tango, a CGI animation production company. Toon2Tango continues to operate independently while benefiting from LEONINE's distribution network. Jo Daris and Hans Ulrich Stoef (Ulli Stoef) lead Toon2Tango.
• Gebrueder Beetz FilmproduktionsgruppecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 October 2022Gebrueder Beetz Filmproduktionsgruppe (beetz brothers film production) became part of LEONINE Studios, adding documentary production capabilities to the group.
• Hyperbole MediencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 May 2022LEONINE Studios acquired Berlin-based Hyperbole Medien, a television production company known for nonfiction and entertainment formats. The deal, effective June 1, 2022, gives Leonine full control of Hyperbole, which produces for German public broadcasters and corporate clients.
• International Format Buyers (Finland, France, Spain)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 7 April 2022LEONINE Studios sold format rights of Germany's primetime hit shows SMALL VS. TALL, THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WILL HAPPEN and QUIZ WITHOUT BORDERS to Finland, France and Spain.
• Sky DeutschlandmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 February 2022LEONINE Studios and Sky Deutschland expanded their partnership with a multi-year license deal for content distribution in Germany.
• ZDF StudiosmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2021ZDF Studios co-produces CGI animated series NIKO with Toon2Tango under LEONINE Studios, based on the international film franchise.
• 20 Pictures to MidnightminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 202120 Pictures to Midnight co-produces NIKO – the series with Toon2Tango and ZDF Studios.
• Rainmaker ContentmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 14 September 2021The CW Network acquired LEONINE Studios' international action series PROFESSIONALS starring Tom Welling, Brendan Fraser and Elenacana from Rainmaker Content for international distribution.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Constantin Film: German independent film production and distribution company headquartered in Munich, directly comparable to LEONINE in theatrical distribution, home entertainment, and TV/film production for the German-speaking market.
• Beta Film: Germany-based international TV distribution and co-production company with a large content library and global format sales, mirroring LEONINE's licensing, co-production, and international distribution activities.
• Studio Hamburg Enterprises: German production and distribution group covering fiction, non-fiction and licensing with international sales — a structurally similar integrated independent media peer in the DACH market.
• Bavaria Film: Major German film and TV production house with own studio facilities and a long history of theatrical and TV production, overlapping heavily with LEONINE's production and distribution segments.
• Studio Babelsberg: Germany's oldest large-scale film studio, producing feature films and series and offering production services — comparable production economics and customer set to LEONINE.

Broad incumbents

• UFA (Bertelsmann/RTL Group): Largest German TV production group and subsidiary of RTL Group/Bertelsmann, producing fiction and non-fiction across all major German broadcasters — a much larger incumbent competing for the same production commissions as LEONINE.
• ZDF Studios: Distribution and co-production arm of German public broadcaster ZDF, handling international sales, co-productions and licensing — directly comparable to LEONINE Licensing while backed by a major public broadcaster.
• Fremantle: Global production and distribution company owned by RTL Group, active across scripted, unscripted and formats with international scale comparable to LEONINE's ambitions but vastly larger reach.
• Banijay Germany & Endemol Shine Germany: Banijay's German operations span unscripted/reality and scripted production with format licensing globally, directly overlapping with LEONINE's i&u Studios, Hyperbole Medien and SEO Entertainment non-fiction segments.
• All3Media: London-headquartered global production and distribution group with a portfolio of production labels across scripted, entertainment and factual — comparable to LEONINE's portfolio-of-labels structure at greater international scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/leoninestudios
• Facebookfacebook.com/LEONINEStudios
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leonine-studios
• Instagraminstagram.com/leoninestudios
• Pinterestde.pinterest.com/leoninestudiosde
• TikToktiktok.com/@leoninestudios

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Subsidiaries16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LEONINE