TPG Real Estate Partners (TREP) has acquired the historic German production facility Studio Babelsberg.
In September 2021 TREP announced the purchase of a stake in the Berlin studios, via acquisition of the company’s main shareholder, Filmbetriebe Berlin Brandenburg GmbH (FBB).
FBB launched a public tender offer to acquire a majority of the shares in the film studio. All closing conditions of the transaction have now been fulfilled, with Studio Babelsberg CEO and COO Carl L. Woebcken and Christoph Fisser maintaining a minority stake in the business.
Studio Babelsberg is now part of TREP’s global studio platform, Cinespace Studios, the second-largest sound stage operator in North America. The studio will continue to operate as an independent brand but benefit from the resources and networks provided by the global platform, according to Cinespace.
Studio Babelsberg is Europe’s largest film studio and one of the oldest in the world, having been producing films since 1912. More recent productions hosted at the site include Inglorious Basterds and The Matrix Resurrections.
“Across the globe, Studio Babelsberg is known for its quality and as a symbol of Berlin’s and Brandenburg’s creative culture,” said Michael Abel, partner at TREP. “With Studio Babelsberg, we saw an opportunity to invest behind a leading studio facility that is well positioned to benefit from secular growth trends in media and content consumption. We support the company’s strategy and direction and look forward to growing the business.”
“We are excited to announce a successful completion of the transaction, and to welcome TREP as Studio Babelsberg’s new partner,” added Woebcken and Fisser. “The team values our rich history and brings significant insight and business building capabilities to Studio Babelsberg’s next chapter. We look forward to working together to further solidify our position as Europe’s premier studio.”
“Studio Babelsberg has a strong tradition of film making that has served some of the most iconic films ever made,” said Eoin Egan, COO of Cinespace. “As appetite for high-quality content continues to increase, we look forward to working with the Studio Babelsberg and TREP teams to grow Berlin into a global hub for content production.”
