Founded 2012 | Area served Worldwide | |
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Headquarters United States, United Kingdom, Australia Key people Alon Shtruzman, chief executive officer Website keshetinternational.com | ||
Keshet International is the global distribution arm of Israeli media company Keshet Media Group. Keshet International was established in 2012 and is led by chief executive officer Alon Shtruzman. The company has established subsidiaries in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia that develop and produce Keshet properties local talent. Keshet International is represented by William Morris Endeavor in the United States.
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In addition to distributing Keshet Media Group properties, Keshet International sells third party properties and develops and produces localized versions of popular television properties with Tender Productions. Programs distributed by Keshet International include Prisoners of War, the Israeli show that Emmy Award-winning show from which Homeland was adapted; Master Class; The A Word, which was sold to BBC One; Rising Star; False Flag; The Gordin Cell, which was adapted in the United States as M.I.C.E. (later Coercion) and launched in January 2014.
History
Keshet International was established in 2012 and is led by chief executive officer and television executive Alon Shtruzman. Shtruzman previously served as executive producer and creative director for Israel’s Cable Programming (ICP). He also co-founded Noga Communications Ltd., Israel’s first independent channel producer, in 1995. Shtruzman later founded the Israel’s first interactive TV studio, Zoe Interactive.
Keshet International began expanding internationally when it opened London-based Keshet UK in 2012. Keshet continued its expansion in May 2013 when joined with Northern Pictures to establish Keshet Australia. The joint venture between Keshet International and RACAT, Northern Pictures’ parent company, gave Northern Pictures access to more than 50 television properties owned by Keshet International. Keshet DCP, a joint venture between Keshet International and DC Media, the parent company of Dick Clark Productions, launched in October 2013. Keshet DCP was formed to develop and finance unscripted television programming in English and Spanish for American and worldwide audiences.
Keshet International began distributing live singing competition Rising Star (HaKokhav HaBa) at MIPCOM in October 2013. Televisions channels that purchased the rights to Rising Star included Brazil’s Globo, United States’ ABC, Argentina’s Telefe, Indonesia's RCTI, Germany’s RTL, Russia’s Rossiya 1, France’s M6, Italy’s Toro, Hungary’s TV2, and Portugal’s TVI.
In 2015, Keshet International launched Keshet Studios, a Los Angeles-based studio overseeing Keshet’s U.S. activities including production, development, promotion, packaging and sales of scripted programming In June 2015, Keshet announced the start of the European Drama Initiative, a production initiative aimed at financing three to four new productions a year.
Properties
Keshet International is best known for its scripted shows and dramas such as The A Word, The Gordin Cell which was adapted in the United States as M.I.C.E. (later Coercion), Dig, Arab Labor, False Flag and Your Family or Mine.
Keshet International is also the distributor of Prisoners of War, the Israeli show from which Emmy Award-winning show Homeland was adapted, and the comedy series Traffic Light. Keshet International also distributes gameshows includling BOOM! and Deal with It!
The group’s reality and entertainment properties include Help! I Can’t Cook and Girlfri3nds. It also distributes Rising Star (HaKokhav HaBa), a singing talent show that allows viewers to select the singers they want to advance in real time using a smartphone app. Another entertainment property distributed by Keshet International is Master Class, a talent show for children ages 8–14. Master Class contestants are not assigned a celebrity mentor, but are instead assigned teachers that help them prepare for performances. Songs performed by contestants are chosen for their lyrics and meaning, and the contestants are encouraged to understand and engage with the music.