Fox is extending its relationship with Tom Brady beyond the broadcast booth.
The company will reportedly invest in Brady’s entertainment studio, Shadow Lion, acquiring an equity stake, according to a report by Alex Weprin in The Hollywood Reporter. The studio will develop original series and films, along with event programming and digital content. Shadow Lion’s first project will be a docuseries about the University of Michigan football program, co-produced by Brady and former Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh.
“Once we met them, it became pretty clear that a partnership with Shadow Lion and Tom could give Fox Sports, I think, a different gear, a new gear, and as time went on, it became a natural conversation and investment for the long term,” Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks told THR.
“I see this as kind of a new chapter for us and for the business as we expand to produce more longer form and continue to produce digital and short form content, continue to be talent-led in a lot of the things that we do, and now have a really great partner in Fox who’s eager to distribute great content, to maintain the premium experience that they’ve developed for sports fans,” Shadow Lion co-founder Gilad Haas said.
Fox is allowing Shadow Lion to open an office on the Fox lot in Los Angeles. “Knowing how much we want to produce with Fox, a lot of that being entertainment-driven, it made sense for us to have more proximity to what they’re doing day to day,” Haas said.
Per Weprin, Fox and Shadow Lion will collaborate on the Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Saudi Arabia next year, which will air on Fox and counts Brady as a participant.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.