Program Buyer Limited
Hilco is seeking offers to acquire the intellectual property assets of Program Buyer Limited (“Program Buyer” or the “Company”) on behalf of the Proposed Liquidator of the Company, Peter Charalambous of Kallis.
Launched in 2016, Program Buyer transformed the way television and media professionals connect by introducing a cutting-edge online screening portal that showcased TV content from around the globe. The platform served as a single destination where distributors could list their entire catalogues, and buyers could search for a wide variety of programming using a sophisticated search facility. Buyers benefited from the convenience of accessing full-length screeners (most platforms only offer trailers), allowing them to make more informed decisions about acquisitions. By enabling buyers to access detailed information about thousands of titles and view screeners, the platform streamlined content exploration, allowing them to discover similar genres from multiple distributors without needing to log in to multiple websites.
Unlike traditional transaction-based platforms, Program Buyer positioned itself as a marketing tool, providing sellers with tiered pricing structures that catered to diverse budgets while offering free access to buyers, removing barriers to exploration. At its peak, the platform housed over 32k meticulously organised program listings, including vital metadata such as genres, production details, and territorial rights, amounting to over 120,000 hours of programming.
At its peak, the platform housed over 32k meticulously organised program listings, including vital metadata such as genres, production details, and territorial rights. Central to its offering, the Company maintained an extensive and well-segmented database of over 1.2k registered buyers and approximately 6.8k unregistered buyer contacts across Europe, North America, Asia, and beyond. The Company’s database provided unparalleled access to a highly engaged audience of decision-makers in the global television and media sectors. Further, the Company’s seller database included over 160 registered distributors and c. 2.9k unregistered sellers, offering significant opportunities for reaching content creators and distributors to expand market reach.
Marketing campaigns conducted by Program Buyer demonstrated strong engagement, with average email open rates of 20%, peaking at 40%, and click-through rates between 5-15%. Rigorous database maintenance practices ensured data accuracy and relevancy, maximising value for users and fostering trust within its network.
Acquiring Program Buyer’s intellectual property offers an exceptional opportunity to leverage a highly curated database of global buyers and sellers, creating a foundation for strategic connections, industry insights, and efficient content distribution within the television and media landscape.
The Program Buyer Brand
The Program Buyer brand has established itself as a trusted and respected name within the global television and media industry. Maintaining a vast and highly segmented database of buyers and sellers, Program Buyer has become synonymous with enabling meaningful connections and facilitating efficient content discovery across international markets.
The brand’s credibility is rooted in the depth, accuracy, and global reach of its data, and Program Buyer’s data has been the cornerstone of its brand. These carefully maintained connections, combined with a user-centric approach to fostering relationships, have ensured that the Program Buyer name has become associated with seamless content discovery and efficient deal-making.
Beyond its data, Program Buyer’s brand is defined by its ability to facilitate meaningful industry connections. By creating a platform that removed barriers to exploration, streamlined interactions, and enabled direct transactions between buyers and sellers, the brand cultivated a reputation for being more than just a tool, becoming a catalyst for growth and opportunity in the media space.
The Program Buyer brand’s global reach and participation in industry events have further cemented its credibility, while media praise, including coverage by Señal News, has highlighted its innovative approach to connecting media professionals.
Acquiring the Program Buyer brand represents a compelling opportunity to leverage an established and trusted brand with industry credibility and proven ability to drive value in the television and media sectors.
Trade Marks
The Company likely holds unregistered rights in the “Program Buyer” brand name and logos.
Full details on the Company’s trade marks are available via a virtual data room.
Domain Name & Website Content
The primary programbuyer.com domain name is available for acquisition.
The Company owns the copyright to the front end of the website previously hosted at https://web.archive.org/web/20240420230421/https://www.programbuyer.com/Home, highlighting its services, extensive content listings, and technology platform.
Social Media Accounts
Rights in the social media accounts are also available to acquire across LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
Full details on the Company’s social media accounts are available via a virtual data room.
Client & Seller Data
At the heart of Program Buyer’s IP portfolio sits its meticulously curated buyer and seller databases, representing a significant opportunity to leverage deep industry connections and actionable insights within the global television and media landscape.
The Company’s buyer database includes over 1.2k registered buyers, featuring detailed and segmented information such as names, job titles, company affiliations, and preferences for content genres, territories, and rights. Complementing this is a broader pool of c. 6.8k unregistered buyer contacts, with 6.2k verified email addresses spanning key markets across Europe, North America, Asia, and beyond. The Company’s buyer data provides direct access to decision-makers within leading broadcasters, streaming platforms, and content acquisition teams, enabling targeted engagement with a highly relevant audience.
Further, the Company’s seller database comprises over 160 registered distributors, each catalogued with essential details, including company names, contact information, and metadata about their content offerings. Additionally, there are c. 2.9k unregistered seller contacts, broadening the scope for outreach and collaboration with content creators and distributors worldwide, offering unparalleled insights into the media industry’s supply chain, fostering opportunities for networking, deal-making, and expanding market presence.
Data accuracy and relevancy are hallmarks of the Program Buyer’s approach. The Company employed rigorous maintenance practices, including regular updates, duplicate removal, and manual cross-referencing with industry reports and publications, ensuring a reliable and up-to-date resource.
Acquiring Program Buyer’s buyer and seller data not only grants access to a curated and actionable network but also positions the acquirer to unlock new opportunities and establish/strengthen their foothold within the television and media sectors.
Offers are due Tuesday 17 December at 12pm GMT
All expressions of interest and bids are to be directed to Hilco in writing. A Bid Submission Form is available on request. Please contact Hilco to gain access to a virtual data room for further information on signing a confidentiality agreement.
The Proposed Liquidator acts as an agent of the Company and without personal liability.
The bidder acknowledges that Hilco acts as an agent for the Proposed Liquidator who offers for sale only what right, title and interest (if any) the Company possesses in the assets. Such sale will be without any warranties, expressed or implied. The information provided has not been verified by Hilco or the Proposed Liquidator, and bidders are deemed to have carried out their own due diligence.
VAT, if applicable, at 20% will be added to the price. A non-refundable deposit of 20% will be payable by the buyer within 48 hours of bid acceptance. A buyer’s premium of 10% of the sale price is payable by the winning bidder. Legal completion to occur within 5 business days of bid acceptance. Hilco’s full Terms and Conditions apply.
