What Kite Entertainment does

Kite Entertainment is a privately held, founder-owned independent television production company headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, founded in 2004 by Darren Smith. The company produces hundreds of hours of programming across four core genres: Entertainment (reality competitions, comedy, panel shows), Factual (documentaries, formats), Kids TV, and a self-styled "Puppets & Stuff" category encompassing theatrical productions and puppet-based content. Its portfolio spans both originated formats (Ireland's Fittest Family, OAP B&B, StoryBud, Dustin The Turkey) and licensed international formats (The Traitors Ireland, Gogglebox Ireland, LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland, Ireland's Got Talent, The Assembly Ireland). The company has also extended into theatrical production with musicals like Copper Face Jacks: The Musical and Anglo: The Musical at Dublin's Olympia Theatre.

The core production capability is built on traditional broadcast craft: puppetry, animation, hidden-camera formats, fixed-rig documentary cameras, and live event production. The company operates with a small core team of 1-10 employees led by Managing Director Darren Smith, who has personally created, written, directed, produced, or executive produced all of Kite's output since inception. The business model is based on broadcast commission fees from production work and licensing royalties from format sales, with go-to-market being direct sales to broadcasters including RTÉ, Virgin Media Television, Sky, BBC, ITV, Discovery+, and Amazon Prime Video. Long-standing co-production relationships with Animo TV, Studio Lambert, Green Inc. Television, and Allkind Media, plus international distribution partners Aardman Rights and Magnify Media, support co-funded production and international format distribution across the UK, Spain, Germany, Romania, France, Finland, Israel, and Asia.

Name

Kite Entertainment

Legal name

Kite Entertainment

Website

https://kiteentertainment.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kite Entertainment is an Irish independent television production company founded in 2004, producing entertainment, factual, comedy, and kids TV programs for broadcasters including RTÉ, Virgin Media Television, Sky, BBC, ITV, Discovery+, and Amazon Prime Video. The company creates original formats and adapts international formats, extending into theatrical productions and live events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Broadcast Commission Fees: Kite produces television programming commissioned by broadcasters including RTÉ, Virgin Media Television, Sky, BBC, ITV, Discovery+, and Amazon Prime Video. Revenue comes from production fees and licensing of finished content.
2. Format Licensing: Kite both originates original formats (Fittest Family, OAP B&B, StoryBud) and produces international formats (Traitors, Gogglebox). Formats are distributed internationally through partners like Magnify Media.
3. Theatrical Production: Stage productions including Copper Face Jacks: The Musical at Dublin's Olympia Theatre, Anglo: The Musical, and related merchandise/DVD sales.
4. Live Events: Paddy's Night in support of Comic Relief at 3Arena, raising nearly half a million Euro for Irish and International causes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kite Entertainment is an Irish television production company that develops and produces entertainment, factual, comedy, and kids TV programming for broadcasters and streaming platforms. The company creates original formats and produces international format adaptations, delivering content to RTÉ, Virgin Media Television, Sky, BBC, ITV, Discovery+, and Amazon Prime Video.

Product overview

Kite Entertainment is a television production company established in 2004, producing a broad portfolio of programming across four main content genres: Entertainment (reality competitions, comedy, panel shows), Factual (documentaries, reality formats), Kids TV, and Puppets & Stuff (musicals, puppet productions). Their portfolio includes original format creations like Ireland's Fittest Family, OAP B&B, StoryBud, and The Assembly Ireland, as well as adaptations of international formats including The Traitors, Gogglebox, Love In The Country, Ireland's Got Talent, and Last One Laughing. They have produced hundreds of hours of programming for Irish broadcasters RTÉ and Virgin Media Television, as well as international partners including Sky, BBC, ITV, Discovery+, and Amazon Prime Video. Their productions have also extended into theatre with musicals like Copper Face Jacks: The Musical and Anglo: The Musical, and they've staged puppet-based entertainment featuring iconic Irish character Dustin The Turkey. The company operates from Dublin and has established co-production partnerships with Animo TV, Studio Lambert, Green Inc. Television, Allkind Media, and other production companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Entertainment TV production
• Factual TV production
• Comedy TV production
• Kids TV production
• Original format development Creation of original television formats for sale and adaptation across broadcasters and streaming platforms.
• International format adaptation and licensing Adaptation of international formats for local broadcast and licensing of Kite Entertainment's own formats to overseas markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• 27.5% audience share achieved by Mother Of All Weddings on RTÉ 1
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Animo TVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing co-production partner on numerous shows including Anonymous, Ireland's Fittest Family, Celebrity Bainisteoir, Just for Laughs, Connected, Who Do You Think You Are?, The Byrne Ultimatum, Class Clowns, I Dare Ya!, Secret Millionaire, Mother Of All Weddings, and Brian & Arthur's Very Modern Family.
• Studio LambertcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Gogglebox Ireland. Studio Lambert previously optioned Celebrity Bainisteoir for international development.
• Green Inc. TelevisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Ireland's Got Talent, the Fremantle format produced in Ireland.
• Allkind MediacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Ireland's Fittest Family, which is internationally distributed by Magnify Media.
• Red Gorilla ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Langerland.tv, the television incarnation of the satirical website.
• Aardman RightscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational distribution partner for kids programming including Science Fiction and Brain Freeze, sold to Discovery Asia, Finish TV, Israel, and France.
• Caboom!minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Jedward: Put the Green Cape On music video for ISPCC and Euro 2012.
• Verdant ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for Copper Face Jacks: The Musical at Dublin's Olympia Theatre.
• Can't Stop MediacoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensed the international hit format The Assembly for Irish production. Based on their format from Can Can't Stop Media.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Studio Lambert: UK-based production company and originator of the Gogglebox format, co-producing Gogglebox Ireland with Kite. Comparable as an indie producer of major entertainment formats distributed internationally through established broadcasters.
• ShinAwiL: Ireland's largest independent production company, producing drama, entertainment and factual programming for RTÉ and international broadcasters. Directly comparable as a Dublin-headquartered indie selling into the same primary buyer base as Kite.
• Animo TV: Irish indie producer and Kite's long-standing co-production partner on Anonymous, Ireland's Fittest Family, Celebrity Bainisteoir and Secret Millionaire. Highly comparable in scale, genre mix, and broadcaster relationships.
• Tyrone Productions: Irish independent production company best known for long-running TG4 drama Ros na Rún. Comparable as a Dublin-based indie producer with established broadcaster relationships and multi-genre output.
• Sideline Productions: Irish independent production company producing entertainment, factual, and drama for Irish broadcasters. Comparable as a similarly-sized Dublin indie operating in the same commissioning market.
• Green Inc. Television: Irish production company co-producing Ireland's Got Talent with Kite. Comparable indie profile with shared broadcast partners and Fremantle-format collaborations.

Broad incumbents

• ITV Studios: UK broadcaster-owned production arm commissioning and licensing international formats. Comparable as a buyer (ITV broadcasts Kite's Anonymous) and broader incumbent in the same production market.
• Fremantle: International production company and format owner behind Ireland's Got Talent and other global franchises. Comparable as a major rights-holder that licenses formats to Irish indies like Kite.
• Banijay: Global content production and distribution group operating numerous indie labels across entertainment, factual and scripted. Comparable as the upper-tier incumbent in the same format-driven production ecosystem Kite operates in.
• All3Media: International indie production group with labels across entertainment, factual, and scripted. Comparable as a portfolio of indies competing for the same broadcaster commissions and format rights.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KiteEnt
• Instagraminstagram.com/kiteentertainment?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Kite Entertainment