Investment and co-production outfit Night Train Media acquires Eccho Rights

Investment and co-production outfit Night Train Media has fully acquired scripted distribution company Eccho Rights from Korean media group CJ ENM. Eccho Rights will continue to operate as an independent entity within the Night Train Media Group. Fredrik af Malmborg will continue to act as CEO with a substantial shareholding in Eccho Rights, while Herbert L. Kloiber will assume the role of Chairman of the Eccho Rights board.

Night Train Media, which will continue to co-finance with third-party distributors, considers Eccho Rights’ expertise in Turkish, Scandinavian, South Korean and European drama complements its focus on English language productions. Its roster of digital direct-to-consumer channels provides growth opportunities throughout the wider NTM group.

“We are impressed by Eccho Rights' growth, not only by its sales of popular drama series from across the globe, but also by its strategic vision. Eccho’s key business areas are complementary and synergetic with NTM’s. Combining our strengths could not come at a better time when even worldwide streamers are increasingly licensing content in selected territories. We are looking forward to supporting Eccho Rights in its growth plans and to closely working with this expert team,”  said Herbert L. Kloiber, CEO of Night Train Media.

Fredrik af Malmborg, CEO of Eccho Rights, added: “We share the same vision for the future of TV production and distribution, and having the support of Night Train Media, Eccho Rights will strengthen its position as the go-to partner for creators looking to retain their independence in an ever-consolidated industry.”

Handan Özkubat will continue as Director of Turkish Drama and digital operations as will Adam Barth, Eccho Right's Director of Co-Production, Development and Acquisitions. Furthermore, Eccho Rights’ Co-Founder, Nicola Söderlund, will retire after 20 years in Eccho/Sparks Network.

Night Train is backed by private equity company Serafin Group, and last year also acquired a majority stake in Paul Heaney’s non-scripted distribution company, BossaNova. Meanwhile, Eccho Rights operates offices in Stockholm, Istanbul, London, Madrid and Seoul, with a team of 40 people globally. The company licenses approximately 17.000 hours of drama each year and has more than 10 million subscribers for its various direct-to-consumer digital channels. The company mainly focuses on drama development originating from Turkey, Scandinavia, South Korea, and Western Europe.