Elisabeth Murdoch is in talks to invest in a new TV production company being launched by former colleague Jane Featherstone, whose production credits include Broadchurch, Spooks and Humans.
Featherstone is a former co-chairman of Shine UK – the production company set up and subsequently sold off by Murdoch to her father’s 21st Century Fox for £415m in 2011.
Featherstone has now launched production company Sister Pictures and is understood to have held talks with Murdoch about potentially making a small, private investment in the company.
Murdoch, who stepped down as chairman of Endemol Shine at the beginning of last year, made about £150m from the sale of the production company she founded in 2001.
Featherstone has secured her first project co-producing the third and final instalment of Broadchurch alongside Kudos, an Endemol Shine company, and writer Chris Chibnall’s Imaginary Friends.
“My passion is working with writers and I am relishing the prospect of establishing Sister Pictures as an independent home where I can continue to collaborate with some of the big names in drama as well as having the opportunity to support the next raft of authors in making some brilliant television,” said Featherstone.
Featherstone was one of a string of high-profile executive to leave following Shine’s merger with Big Brother maker Endemol and the owner of the American Idol franchise in a joint venture between Fox and private equity group Apollo.
Murdoch has other media interests including the year-old Freelands Ventures, which invests in early-stage media, tech and entertainment businesses.
She registered mobile video company Vertical Networks in September, and is also a non-executive director of luxury shoe brand Jimmy Choo.
Murdoch’s potential investment in Sister Pictures was first reported by the Financial Times.
