Canada's Blue Ant Media acquires David Haslingden's Racat Group

Canada-based producer-distributor Blue Ant Media last week acquired Australian media firm Racat Group as part of an international expansion.

The acquisition is expected to fuel Blue Ant Media’s content sales business and worldwide video channels. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Blue Ant Media is a privately held firm whose production houses create content for multiple genres that include factual, factual entertainment, short-form digital series and kids programming. It maintains operations in Los Angeles, Singapore, Auckland, Dunedin, London, Sydney, Beijing and Taipei. Its assets include international children’s nature broadcaster ZooMoo Networks, and Runaway Play, a mobile game developer and publisher.

The acquisition includes the purchase of prestigious production houses NHNZ (formerly Natural History New Zealand), Beach House Pictures and Northern Pictures that license their content to digital and traditional channels worldwide.

Prior to launching Racat in 2012, David Haslingden was president and COO of Fox Networks Group, a role he held after serving as CEO of Fox International Channels and National Geographic Channels Worldwide for 10 years. Haslingden, who will remain based in Sydney, has become a significant shareholder and member of Blue Ant Media’s board of directors and will be a key member of the team devising the ongoing international growth strategy.

Haslingden is also a former chairman of Nine Entertainment Co, stepping down last year where he was replaced by Peter Costello.

Later this year Blue Ant Media will appoint Ward Platt, current Racat consultant, to a newly created role, CEO, Kids and Global Networks. Platt’s previous leadership roles include COO positions at National Geographic Partners and Fox International Channels and CEO of National Geographic Channels International from 2013-2015.