All3Media Closing Maverick TV USA

EXCLUSIVE: Maverick TV USA, the All3Media production company behind series including Netflix’s Barbeque Showdown, is the latest unscripted business to fall victim to market conditions.

All3Media is closing the U.S. business, which has been run for the last few years by Simon Knight.

Jeff Zucker’s RedBird IMI recently closed on its $1.45B takeover of the British production group, which has around 50 production labels including Squid Game: The Challenge producer Studio Lambert, Tinder Swindler producer Raw TV, Fleabag producer Two Brothers Pictures, Penny Dreadful producer Neal Street and natural history maker Silverback Films.

However, the Maverick news is unrelated to this takeover.

The move highlights the difficult circumstances for unscripted producers in the U.S. Cable networks are no longer ordering the same volume of nonscripted projects that they used to and it’s difficult to get a series greenlit at the broadcast networks. Streamers have been increasing the number of reality shows they commission, but even Netflix recently said that it was refocusing its attention on big broadcast-style formats rather than lifestyle series.

Maverick’s biggest hits in the States over the last few years has been Barbeque Showdown, which recently aired its second season on Netflix. The food competition series is hosted by Rutledge Wood and Lyric Lewis with judges including Kevin Bludso and Melissa Cookston overseeing the country’s best backyard smokers and competitive barbecuers

The company was also hit by the legal troubles of the stars of its USA Network reality series Chrisley Knows Best. That show was one of its biggest earners but the stars, Todd and Julie Chrisley were originally sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison as a result of fraud and tax crimes.

It comes after the UK business, which was known for factual entertainment formats such as How To Look Good Naked, 10 Years Younger and Embarrassing Bodies, was merged in 2022 with All3Media’s Objective Media Group Scotland.

Simon Knight took over the Maverick USA business in 2022 after John Hesling stepped down. Hesling is now at Fox Alternative Entertainment

Knight said, “I’m immensely proud of what Team Maverick have achieved over the nine years I’ve been CEO. From rebooting legacy shows to bringing in new business with fresh ideas. I’m delighted to have been part of building BBQ Showdown for Netflix into the success it is and looking forward to seeing that grow series on series in the coming years. I’m very excited to leverage this experience and explore new opportunities in this ever-changing industry.”

All3Media CEO Jane Turton added, “I would like to thank Simon for all that he has done at Maverick over the past nine years. It has been a pleasure working with Simon in Maverick in both the UK, and more recently in the US, where he has produced high quality formatted factual entertainment and reality shows.  I wish him every success for the future.”