Nine Lives Media

What Nine Lives Media does

Nine Lives Media is an independent UK television production company founded in 2007, headquartered in MediaCityUK, Salford, with a second office in Birmingham. The company produces observational documentaries, current affairs, drama documentaries, children's programming, and factual formats, supplying content to all five major UK broadcasters — the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky — as well as international public broadcasters such as TVP (Poland). Its slate includes long-running BBC formats such as Songs of Praise, landmark Channel 4 documentaries such as Squad Dates, and more recent entrants into children's factual programming.

The company operates on a commissioned-production model: revenue is generated through production fees paid by broadcasters for rights to air finished programmes, with secondary income from international format sales and secondary window exploitation. Co-founded and led by executive producers Cat Lewis and Nell Butler, the team is small (11-50 employees), which places Nine Lives Media in the mid-tier independent segment of the UK production sector rather than among the largest super-indies.

The company's competitive positioning rests on award recognition (BAFTA, RTS, International Emmy, Banff Rockie) and direct access to commissioners across the UK broadcaster landscape. Extension into audio-on-demand via original podcasts indicates intentional multi-platform distribution, while the Birmingham office and TVP relationship signal measured geographic expansion rather than aggressive scaling.

Name

Nine Lives Media

Legal name

Nine Lives Media

Website

https://ninelivesmedia.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Nine Lives Media is a UK independent television production company founded in 2007, making observational documentaries, current affairs, children's programmes and factual formats for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky and international broadcasters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Television Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Live-Action Kids & Family Production (MPADABAF), Scripted TV Series Production (Live-Action) (MPADABAB)

Keywords

• Television production
• Documentary production
• Factual entertainment
• Drama documentary
• Broadcast content

Headquarters

HQ city

Salford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Broadcast Commissioning: The company produces television programmes commissioned by major UK broadcasters including BBC, Sky, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5, as well as global streaming platforms and international TV channels. Revenue is generated through production fees and rights licensing associated with commissioned content.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Nine Lives Media is a UK television production company that produces observational documentaries, current affairs programming, drama documentaries, factual entertainment formats, and children's programmes on commission from broadcasters. The company secures commissions from major UK broadcasters (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky) and global streaming platforms, producing content that consistently achieves both critical acclaim and large audience numbers. It also produces audio documentaries and podcasts for digital audio platforms such as BBC Sounds.

Product overview

Nine Lives Media is a BAFTA, RTS, International Emmy, and Rockie award-winning television production company producing content across multiple categories. Their portfolio consists of five core content offerings: Formats (factual entertainment formats), Documentaries (observational documentaries), Current Affairs (news and investigative programming), Drama Documentaries (drama-reenactment hybrids), and Podcast/Audio Content (digital audio productions). Productions are distributed through major UK broadcasters including BBC, Sky, Channel 4, ITV, and Channel 5, as well as global streaming platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BBCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor commissioning partner producing various programmes across BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, CBBC, and BBC Sounds including documentaries, factual formats, and children's programming.
• SkycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioning partner for television productions including drama documentaries and formatted content broadcast on Sky platforms.
• ITVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK broadcaster commissioning television productions.
• Channel 4coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK broadcaster commissioning television productions.
• Channel 5coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK broadcaster commissioning television productions.
• TVPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolish public broadcaster, part of international distribution network for Nine Lives Media productions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wall to Wall Media: Banijay-owned UK indie producing returning factual formats and documentaries for BBC, Channel 4, and ITV, including 'Who Do You Think You Are?'. Comparable to Nine Lives Media in genre mix, broadcaster relationships, and audience scale on factual programming.
• Pulse Films: UK-based film, documentary, and unscripted production company working with global platforms including Netflix, BBC, and Channel 4. Comparable to Nine Lives Media on documentary production, premium factual output, and international streaming distribution.
• Dragonfly Film and Television: UK independent factual and documentary producer known for high-end observational documentaries such as '24 Hours in A&E' and 'One Born Every Minute'. Directly comparable to Nine Lives Media in producing premium unscripted content for the major UK broadcasters.
• Wonderhood Studios: Independent UK factual and entertainment producer established by former Shine execs, commissioning across BBC, Channel 4, and ITV. Comparable as a similarly-sized indie competing for the same factual and formatted commissions for the UK broadcasters.
• Raw TV: All3Media-owned UK factual, documentary, and features producer behind titles such as 'Tiger King' and 'Louis Theroux' documentaries. Closely comparable to Nine Lives Media's observational and factual documentary focus with global platform distribution.
• Studio Lambert: All3Media-owned UK indie producing formatted entertainment and factual programmes including 'Gogglebox' and 'The Circle'. Comparable in its mix of returning factual formats and observational programming commissioned across major UK broadcasters.
• Label1: Independent UK factual production company behind documentaries and formats for BBC and Channel 4, founded by journalist Tom Connell. Directly comparable in producing premium observational and current affairs content for the major UK broadcasters.
• Expectation Entertainment: UK independent production group producing scripted, factual, and entertainment content for BBC, Channel 4, and Sky. Comparable as a multi-genre indie with shared broadcaster relationships and similar scale of operation.

Broad incumbents

• BBC Studios: In-house production arm of the BBC producing factual, entertainment, and scripted content globally. Represents a broader incumbent that supplies similar content to the same commissioners as Nine Lives Media, but with much greater scale and an in-house advantage with its parent broadcaster.
• Banijay UK: UK arm of the world's largest independent production group, encompassing labels such as Endemol Shine and Initial. A scaled incumbent competing for the same factual, entertainment, and current affairs commissions as Nine Lives Media, but with structural advantages in scale, international format distribution, and back-office support.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ninelivesmedia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfcYpCpAmc9e8WdJyqDUTfg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ninelivesmedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nine-lives-media

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Nine Lives Media