He has built a career out of backing a string of big screen winners such as The King’s Speech and the English Patient, now Harvey Weinstein is plotting to do the same in TV with the spin-off of a half billion dollar production powerhouse.

Weinstein, co-chairman of the Weinstein Company, is looking at strategic options for its hitherto nascent TV production business which could include a stockmarket listing or sale.

The nine-year old Weinstein Company has dabbled in TV production – most notably 13 seasons of Project Runway – but is ramping up operations in the hope to build a half billion dollar business.

Weinstein said last year that building the TV production business would “add stability” to the overall company, movies being a much more fickle and slow return business, which would appeal to investors or potential strategic partners.

Over the past year Weinstein has increased the pipeline of business for the TV operation, including Netflix’s “Game of Thrones”-inspired epic Marco Polo, his first foray into TV drama which airs later this year.

Other projects include reality TV shows Cement Heads and Threads and securing the North American rights to the Graham Norton Show.

ITV has identified the huge opportunity in the US market, spending hundreds of millions of dollars on half-a-dozen production companies in the last two years.

Targets include Leftfield, maker of Pawn Stars and Real Housewives of New Jersey, and Gurney Productions, maker of the US hit Duck Dynasty.

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