Sister, the media group and production company co-founded by Elisabeth Murdoch, Jane Featherstone and Stacey Snider, has taken a significant stake in the recently launched TV and tech entertainment company Yes Yes Media, founded by British broadcaster and format developer Richard Bacon.
In addition to creating new unscripted formats, Yes Yes Media develops proprietary hardware and software to enable viewers to interact with these formats across multiple devices. To lead this development, Yes Yes Media hired California-based tech entrepreneurs Geoff Abbott and Reed Seerman.
The size of the stake and other terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“We’re really in the TikTok era now, but traditional television entertainment hasn’t fully tapped into that in a way that feels native,” says Bacon, best known in the UK for hosting a number of TV and radio shows . “I now see all screens as television. At Yes Yes, we develop content that naturally and authentically meets audiences on each of their devices. We write talent and game shows, partner with a video game company, and create formats that we live-stream directly to viewers, with everyone watching changing the story.
Bacon added, “I am so proud to be working with Sister’s team, who have understood and supported this vision from the start, and have given us access to an incredible level of expertise and support that comes with their global network.”
Elisabeth Murdoch, Sister Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, said: “Sister was built to support the best creative talent, regardless of genre or medium, and Richard’s vision to combine technology and storytelling is a perfect fit. He is a bold, creative entrepreneur who is full of ideas and really thinks differently and I am delighted to bring his creativity, industry experience and commercial ambition to the Sister sheepfold.”
In addition to the deal with Sister, Yes Yes Media also revealed a partnership with Satisfaction, the largest producer of unscripted television in France. Satisfaction and Yes Yes Media have entered into a television format development partnership to create new unscripted formats for local and global buyers, with Satisfaction also making a significant investment in Yes Yes Media.
Other backers in Yes Yes Media include Courteney Cox, as well as songwriters Johnny McDaid and Savan Kotecha. Kotecha is the 17-time Grammy nominee behind multiple hits for artists including Ariana Grande and The Weeknd, such as “What Makes You Beautiful” and “Can’t Feel My Face.” Snow Patrol’s McDaid’s songs include Shape of You, Photograph, and Bad Habits, all co-written with Ed Sheeran. He also writes with Pink, Alicia Keys and Lewis Capaldi. Together, Bacon, McDaid and Kotecha develop new music formats.
Yes Yes Media is represented by CAA and Hansen Jacobson Teller Hoberman.
