Mark Fennessy and his brother Carl are back on our Power 50. Shine, started by Elisabeth Murdoch and sold to News Corp for £415 million, has been rumoured to be acquisition-hungry in Australia to build its drama slate but Mark Fennessy has downplayed the move.
He said earlier this year he did not want Shine to become a “stupendous” TV production company like his old firm Fremantle or Endemol.
But Shine does want to get stronger in Australian drama, rather than rely solely on reality formats like The Voice, albeit a monster ratings hit, or others in Shine’s stable like MasterChef and The Biggest Loser.
As Australian chief executive and president for Shine Networks, Fennessy spends much of his time on planes commuting between here, the US and the UK – he’s convinced that new digital formats and platforms will revolutionise TV and the TV production business and wants Shine at the centre of it.
The Fennessy brothers are well versed in brand-funded content, even before they sold their Australian production business to Fremantle.
