£10m deal with BBC

Opus Arte, an Anglo-Dutch multimedia company which operates from offices at Silveroaks Farm, Waldron, creates high quality audio-visual productions for television, video and DVD and is a leading player in the classical music, opera and ballet DVD market.

The company has linked up with BBC Worldwide in a nine-year agreement for investment, production and distribution of classical music, dance and selected arts programming covering international TV, DVD and video sales.

The company was launched in Holland around six years ago but was moved to Sussex by its anglophile managing director Hans Petri in 2000. Mr Petri's wife, Tricia, who is general manager, is originally from Mayfield.

As part of the deal, BBC Worldwide becomes a shareholder in Opus Arte, acquiring a minority equity stake, while Opus Arte will make a 10m investment over nine years into new classical programming, as well as licensing recent classical music programmes from BBC Worldwide.

With UK music retailers' sales of DVDs accounting for an ever-increasing share of overall sales, BBC Worldwide and Opus Arte's combination of classical music television and DVD is seen as well placed to secure a leading position in the fast-growing music DVD market.

The joint venture cements an arrangement that the two companies have had since March 2001 which has resulted in 25 new classical music productions and 26 DVDs, including Party at the Palace, which recently received a gold disc.

Future projects include Tchaik-ovsky's The Sleeping Beauty from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and The Cunning Little Vixen, a new animation based on Jan cek's opera.

Opus Arte managing director Hans Petri added: 'This is a welcome extension to our partnership with BBC Worldwide that will allow us to jointly exploit on DVD the full range of BBC Music programmes and talent, as well as to produce a wealth of ground-breaking new classical music programmes and events.'

Opus Arte has a core staff of 15 employees at Silveroaks Farm, a former pig farm.