by John Newton, Executive Chairman and CEO of Gravity Media
For decades, the production and broadcast services business has run on a familiar model: invest heavily in infrastructure, deliver world-class technical execution, invoice for the service and move on to the next production. It is a model that has built outstanding companies and enabled some of the biggest moments in sport, entertainment and live events.
But it is no longer enough. For Gravity Media, this is not a threat. It is an opportunity. What I see now, across every major market, is a structural shift in how content gets financed, produced, distributed and monetised. Budgets are under pressure. Audiences are fragmented. Broadcasters and streaming platforms want more flexibility, more originality and lower risk. At the same time, the demand for compelling content has never been higher. That combination is changing the rules.
To that end Gravity Media has secured its first co-development and co-financing partnership in the format space, a collaboration with Green Couch Entertainment to build premium unscripted formats for broadcasters and streaming platforms across the UK, Australia and Europe.
The deal, announced ahead of MIP London 2026 and with Gravity Media as a key exhibitor at MIPCOM CANNES (Stand P3.B20) from 12th to 15th October 2026, marks the point at which a production and broadcast services business stops selling only time and kit and starts holding a share of what it helps create.
That shift is not sentimental. It is arithmetic.
Streamers are projected to spend $101 billion on content in 2026, accounting for around 40% of global content investment. Yet when it comes to formats, the fundamentals remain unchanged. Hit unscripted formats still trigger a global licensing land grab.
When a breakout physical or competition format proves itself, multiple territories move to license it quickly and in volume. The contrast with scripted is stark. K7’s Tracking the Scripted Giants 2026 found that 72 percent of scripted adaptations are one-off, single-territory deals.
Unscripted format IP is therefore the strongest available vehicle for anyone who wants to build content value that travels – and the people who make those formats travel need infrastructure.
Why this is Gravity Media’s move to make
Every major services business is now talking about moving up the value chain. The question analysts should be asking is not whether the idea is sound, but who is actually equipped to execute it.
Most production companies have ideas, creative talent and relationships. They do not own a global production backbone. Gravity Media does. Our business runs more than 120 flyaways and OB trucks, 9 remote production centres, 30-plus studios and more than 2,000 professionals worldwide, spanning sport, entertainment, news, live events and studios.
We hold the engineering capability, the live production heritage, the specialist cameras, the post capability and the workflow expertise to execute at scale, anywhere.
Others may be creative. Others may be technical. Very few combine both at global scale. Fewer still can take an idea from concept to pilot to production to multi-market adaptation inside one integrated ecosystem.
Gravity Media can.
That is the differentiated claim, and it is why the commercial logic holds. The Format Lab sits at the centre of this next chapter, built to develop scalable entertainment IP for international audiences and to create a repeatable pipeline of original programming that can travel across territories and platforms. It sits within a broader production and content offering alongside our creative agency.
Green Couch brings format creation and global development pedigree to pair with our studios, production hubs and technical expertise across the UK, Australia and Europe. The stated focus is game shows, social experiments and entertainment formats designed for international adaptation, with an emphasis on scalable IP and integrated brand partnerships.
This is the first such partnership. The capabilities behind it, however, are not new.
The economics have moved
What I see now, across every major market, is a structural shift in how content gets financed, produced, distributed and monetised. Budgets are under pressure. Audiences are fragmented. Broadcasters and streaming platforms want more flexibility, more originality and lower risk. At the same time, the demand for compelling content has never been higher. That combination is changing the rules.
For Gravity Media, this is not a threat. It is an opportunity. The future is not about walking away from fee-for-service work. That remains a core part of our DNA and a major strength of the business. The future is about building on that strength and taking a stake in the ideas our infrastructure brings to life.
In simple terms, if we provide the studios, the production infrastructure, the technical expertise, the operational backbone and the creative support that make a piece of content possible, then in the right circumstances we should also share in the upside of that content. Co-development. Co-financing. Shared IP. Territory rights, format rights, back-end participation.
However it is structured, the principle is the same. Collaboration over transaction.
What this creates for each party
This model adds value on every side of the table.
For broadcasters and streamers, it lowers the barrier to getting ambitious projects made and opens access to stronger formats built for international scale.
For production companies and creators, it offers a partner that can do more than rent space or kit. It offers a partner who can help de-risk production, accelerate development and support rollout across multiple territories.
For brands, it opens the door to deeper, smarter integration into original IP rather than superficial sponsorship around the edges.
For Gravity Media, it creates new revenue streams, stronger margins, more defensible differentiation and participation in long-tail value rather than one-off fees.
For the industry as a whole, it is a healthier model. It rewards true partnership, encourages innovation and better reflects how content is now being financed and consumed.
The leadership question
A business does not make this shift by accident. It requires conviction, timing and a willingness to move before the market fully validates the decision. That is the essence of strategic leadership. Seeing not just what your company does today, but what it must become to remain relevant and influential tomorrow.
Founders and founder-led executives often bring something different to strategy. Proximity to customers, instinct for change and the confidence to make bold moves before consensus forms. In Gravity Media’s case, that matters. This is a company built on execution, but it is increasingly shaped by a broader vision, one that sees technical excellence not as the end product but as the platform on which IP, partnership and growth can be built.
Gravity Media’s brand line, Capture. Craft. Create., is more than a slogan. It describes the strategic trajectory. Capture the moment. Craft the experience. Create the value.
That is where Gravity Media is headed. Not away from its heritage, but beyond the limits of a purely transactional model. From fee for services to shared creation. From supplier to stakeholder. From enabling content for others to helping originate and own the future of content itself.
About John Newton
John is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gravity Media and is responsible for setting our long-term strategic goals. He also uses his considerable leadership experience and strong technical background to work closely with our executive leadership team and drive positive change, both within the company and across the industry.
John already had extensive broadcast industry experience when he founded Gravity Media in 2000. 25 years and multiple mergers and acquisitions later, he continues to lead the company with a future-facing vision that’s focused on innovation and delighting audiences.
John’s hands-on approach sees him travel extensively to maintain personal relationships (with customers, partners, suppliers and staff) and to monitor international growth and operations at our global production centres.
About Gravity Media
Gravity Media is a global media production, creative service and facilities company.
Built on a foundation of collaboration, innovation and a global network of talent, Gravity Media helps partners to create and optimise production, content, media services and facilities.
Through intelligent workflows and operational expertise, we deliver seamless solutions for programming and globally distributed events of every type and scale. Our services are both modular and integrated, meaning we can tailor our offerings to match your requirements: come to us for a single service, or a complete, end-to-end solution.
Gravity Media is trusted to deliver some of the world’s most-watched live sport and entertainment, including the UEFA EURO Championships, Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, Formula E, Tour de France, US Open, alongside premium entertainment like I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and The Voice.
With established operations across Europe, America and Asia-Pacific, and continued investment in growth markets including Middle East, Gravity Media provides expertise in outside broadcast, studios, live and remote production, post-production, cloud-based workflows and specialist camera technologies. Through long-standing partnerships and a commitment to technical excellence, Gravity Media allows audiences worldwide to experience iconic moments in sport and entertainment at the highest quality.
For more information, visit www.gravitymedia.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, X, Facebook and YouTube.
