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Fifth Season (company)

Fifth Season (formerly Endeavor Content) is an American multinational film and television production and distribution company. Fifth Season has financed, produced and distributed TV series and films such as Severance, Killing Eve, The Night Manager, Tokyo Vice, Flora and Son, Cha Cha Real Smooth, and The Lost Daughter.[1] Fifth Season is headquartered in West Los Angeles, California,[2] with offices in Los Angeles,[3] New York, London, Miami, Stockholm, Hong Kong, and Colombia.

The company was originally formed by Endeavor Group Holdings in 2017. In January 2022, an 80% majority stake was sold to CJ ENM, part of the South Korean conglomerate CJ Group.[4] In December 2023, CJ ENM sold 25% of its ownership stake to Japanese studio Toho.[5]

History

Endeavor Content

Endeavor Content was formed in October 2017 from the Endeavor Group's film financing and scripted TV sales units, WME's advisory group for film financiers and content producers,[6] and international sales company Bloom, which continued to operate autonomously until 2018, when it was fully integrated into Endeavor Content.[7]

Sale to CJ ENM and rebranding to Fifth Season

In 2021, Endeavor announced its intent to divest Endeavor Content, due to a new franchising deal with the Writers Guild of America that prohibits talent agencies from holding more than a 20% stake in a production company. Implemented as part of a new code of conduct also targeting movie packaging agreements, the WGA had deemed studio ownership by a talent agency to be a conflict of interest.[8]

In November 2021, Endeavor announced an agreement to sell an 80% controlling stake in Endeavor Content's scripted content business to CJ ENM for US$775 million, marking the South Korean conglomerate's largest purchase to-date. Endeavor would keep the company's non-scripted production assets, and Graham Taylor and Chris Rice would remain co-CEOs of the company.[9] The acquisition closed in January 2022.[10][11]

In September 2022, CJ ENM renamed the studio to Fifth Season, introducing a new mosaic-themed logo. The name is derived from a term in Asian medicine referring to the harvest season.[12]

In December 2023, Japanese studio Toho announced it would acquire a 25% stake in Fifth Season through its American subsidiary Toho International for $225 million. The deal valued the company at $900 million. Taylor and Rice stated that this deal would allow the company to continue expanding its offerings and create opportunities to work with Toho and CJ ENM on both Japanese and global content.[13] In 2026, the company signed a deal with Media Res International for a distributing deal.[14]

Productions

Films

Television series

Distribution

Fifth Season globally distributes series including Killing Eve, Wild Cards, The Morning Show, Normal People, and The Night Manager.

External links

References

  1. Jennifer Maas. Endeavor Content Rebrands as Fifth Season Variety, September 7, 2022, retrieved December 6, 2023^
  2. Fifth Season (Media and Information Services) Overview PitchBook, retrieved December 6, 2023^
  3. Greg Cornfield. Hollywood Production Company Fifth Season Signs Big Office Lease in West LA Commercial Observer, March 24, 2023^
  4. Korea’s CJ ENM Completes Acquisition of Endeavor Content variety.com, January 19, 2022^
  5. Patrick Brzeski. Japan’s Toho Buys 25 Percent Stake in Fifth Season for $225M The Hollywood Reporter, 2023-12-11, retrieved 2025-05-10^
  6. Rebecca Sun. WME and IMG Finance and Sales Groups Combine to Form Endeavor Content Hollywood Reporter, October 16, 2017, retrieved December 6, 2023^
  7. John Hazelton. Bloom to be fully integrated into Endeavor Content Screen Daily, October 10, 2018^
  8. Christina Littleton. WME Reaches Deal With WGA on Packaging and Endeavor Content Divestment Variety, 2021-02-05, retrieved 2021-10-29^
  9. Dade Hayes. Endeavor Clinches $775M Deal With CJ For 80% Stake In Scripted Content Unit Deadline, 2021-11-19, retrieved 2021-11-19^
  10. Dade Hayes. Endeavor's $785M Sale Of Content Unit To Korea's CJ ENM Officially Closes Deadline, 2022-01-19, retrieved 2022-01-19^
  11. Patrick Frater. Korea's CJ ENM Completes Acquisition of Endeavor Content Variety, January 19, 2022, retrieved December 6, 2023^
  12. Brian Welk. Endeavor Content Rebrands as Fifth Season TheWrap, September 7, 2022, retrieved December 16, 2023^
  13. Liz Shackleton. Japan's Toho Acquires 25% Stake In Fifth Season; Korea's CJ ENM Remains Majority Shareholder Deadline Hollywood, 10 December 2023, retrieved 11 December 2023^
  14. Fifth Season strikes first-look distribution deal with Media Res International C21media, retrieved 2026-03-01^
  15. Mike Fleming. 'In The Heights': Warner Bros Closing $50M Deal For Movie Rights After Hot Auction Deadline, May 17, 2018^
  16. Jeremy Kay. 'The Lost Daughter' wins best film, director, screenplay at 2022 Spirit Awards Screen Daily, March 6, 2022, retrieved December 6, 2023^
  17. Maggie Gyllenhaal's Directorial Debut 'The Lost Daughter' Heads To Netflix Netflix – Business News, retrieved December 6, 2023^
  18. Darryl Boxberger. Apple hosts premiere of 'Cha Cha Real Smooth' at Tribeca Festival AppleInsider, June 14, 2022, retrieved December 6, 2023^
  19. Anthony D'Alessandro. Dennis Quaid & Jay Hernandez SXSW-Winning Golf Drama 'The Long Game' Sets Theatrical Release With Mucho Mas Media Deadline Hollywood, 25 January 2024, retrieved 26 January 2024^
  20. Steve Pond. How the Beatles Invaded the Emmys in 2022 TheWrap, August 9, 2022, retrieved December 6, 2023^