Italy’s Rainbow Group, the studio behind Winx Club, has acquired a majority stake in 247 Production, a digital entertainment company founded by Nicola Bertona with Andrea Pisani and Luca Peracino, the Italian comedy duo known as PanPers. Rainbow announced the deal Tuesday as a push into digital content, branded entertainment and the creator economy. The expansion follows an investment in Rainbow by TEC Movie, a vehicle of The Equity Club, an investor group run with the investment bank Mediobanca.
247 Production, founded in 2017, works across comedy, food, music and entertainment, along with educational and informative programming, for online audiences and brands. As C21Media reports, the company turned out over 3,500 individual pieces of content across more than 100 projects last year.
Bertona stays on as CEO of 247 Production. He also joins Rainbow Group as vice president of strategy and commercial development, inside the TV, digital and talent division that Gian Paolo Tagliavia runs, where he will scout new digital entertainment business for the group.
“The acquisition of 247 Production represents another step forward in the evolution of the Rainbow Group,” said Iginio Straffi, Rainbow’s founder and chairman. “We are combining Rainbow’s extensive experience across the media and audiovisual content landscape with 247’s ability to understand and interpret new digital languages.”
“We are confident that we can contribute to the growth of a group that is already a leader in its markets and that will also become a benchmark in digital content and branded entertainment, thanks to outstanding talent and creative resources,” Bertona said. “Our goal remains to create significant value for brands and agencies.”
Straffi founded Rainbow in 1995. Alongside Winx Club, the studio’s series include 44 Cats and Pinocchio and Friends, and its feature Mermaid Magic was released on Netflix in 2024. Rainbow acquired Vancouver’s Bardel Entertainment back in 2015. Bardel had some 650 artists across three divisions at the time.
Source: Rainbow Group, C21Media
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
