BLACKBIRD PLC
Blackbird plc is a public limited company registered in England and Wales under company number 03507286, incorporated on 10 February 1998. The company’s registered office is at Labs House, 15-19 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TH, and its status on the Companies House register is currently active. Blackbird plc was previously registered under the name Forbidden Technologies plc, changing to its current name on 15 May 2019.
The company’s registered SIC classifications cover motion picture, video and television programme post-production activities (59120), video distribution activities (59132), and data processing, hosting and related activities (63110). Blackbird plc develops and licenses cloud-native video editing and production software marketed under the Blackbird brand, used by broadcasters, rights holders, sports and news organisations, live-events producers and post-production houses for frame-accurate remote video editing, review and publishing. The company also operates elevate.io, an online collaborative content-creation platform built on the same core technology and aimed at professional teams and the wider creator economy.
Blackbird plc’s ordinary shares trade on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker BIRD (ISIN GB0004740477); the shares traded under the ticker FBT prior to the May 2019 name change. For the financial year ended 31 December 2025, the company reported group revenue of approximately £1.38 million, down from £1.61 million in FY2024. Interim results for the six months to 30 June 2026 were scheduled for announcement on 28 September 2026.
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Shareholders
1
Shareholders of Blackbird plc
Blackbird plc is an AIM-listed company, so its shareholder disclosure follows the AIM/DTR major-holdings regime rather than a complete public shareholder register: only stakes crossing statutory notification thresholds are formally disclosed. The largest disclosed institutional holder is Premier Miton Group plc, whose interest — held through a chain of controlled undertakings ultimately including Premier Fund Managers Ltd — stood at 10.87% of voting rights (52,209,029 shares) following a disposal notified on 24 July 2026, down from a previous notified position of 11.73%. Director Stephen Streater held a beneficial interest of 62,785,000 ordinary shares, reported as approximately 17.05% of issued share capital in a Director/PDMR notification dated 6 September 2023; subsequent share issuances appear to have enlarged the company’s capital to roughly 480 million shares by 2026, so his proportional holding, if his share count is unchanged, will now be lower than the 2023-reported percentage. Executive Chair Ian McDonough and his wife Syarifah Aidid held 15,658,482 shares (approximately 3.26%) as of 24 March 2026. This reflects a major-shareholders-only disclosure picture rather than a complete register.
Data availability
Shareholder information for Blackbird plc is major shareholders only: UK-listed companies disclose holdings through regulatory notifications once statutory thresholds are crossed, so smaller or non-crossing holdings are not publicly itemised.
Sources
- Companies House, persons with significant control — find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03507286/persons-with-significant-control — retrieved 22 September 2026
- RNS "Holding(s) in Company", Blackbird plc / Premier Miton Group plc — 24 July 2026
- RNS "Director/PDMR Shareholding", Blackbird plc — 6 September 2023 (Investegate)
- RNS "Director/PDMR Shareholding", Blackbird plc — 24 March 2026 (Ian McDonough)
Registry feed — rows exactly as filed with Companies House, including entries the profile above does not cover.
| Shareholder | Type | Holding | Source Document |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNDISCLOSED | 100% | Companies House |
Officers
5
Directors and officers of Blackbird plc
Companies House records 21 officer appointments against Blackbird plc since incorporation, of which 6 are currently active and 15 have resigned. The current board comprises five directors: Stephen Bernard Streater (appointed 16 March 1998, British, resident in the United Kingdom), Ian McDonough (appointed 1 September 2017, British, resident in the United Kingdom), Stephen James White (appointed 2 April 2019, British, resident in the United Kingdom), Nicholas Mark Lisher (appointed 16 September 2024, British, resident in England) and Youri Hazanov (appointed 15 August 2024, Swiss, resident in Switzerland). Martin Colin Kay has served as company secretary since 16 March 1998 and is British. This reflects the live Companies House officer register as of 22 September 2026; a prior cached record for this company showed only one active director, which was outdated relative to the current register.
Recent officer changes
- Youri Hazanov appointed director — 15 August 2024 (Companies House)
- Nicholas Mark Lisher appointed director — 16 September 2024 (Companies House)
- David Main resigned as director — 19 June 2023 (Companies House)
Data availability
Companies House publishes full current and historical officer records for this jurisdiction, including nationality where disclosed and country of residence, though not full residential addresses. Availability is full.
Sources
- Companies House, officers — find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03507286/officers — retrieved 22 September 2026
Registry feed — rows exactly as filed with Companies House, including entries the profile above does not cover.
Group Structure
Group structure of Blackbird plc
No verified parent company, subsidiary or sister-company relationship has been identified for Blackbird plc. Companies House’s persons-with-significant-control register records an active statement, in force since 26 June 2018, that the company knows of no registrable person or registrable relevant legal entity — consistent with a widely-held AIM-listed company rather than one under identified corporate control. Other UK-registered companies sharing the word "Blackbird" in their name (for example Blackbird Group Ltd, Blackbird Capital Group Ltd and Blackbird Holdings Ltd) were checked and found to be unrelated entities with different registered offices, registration numbers and business activities; a shared name alone is not treated as evidence of a corporate relationship, so none of these are presented as related entities. On the available evidence, Blackbird plc appears to operate as a standalone single entity.
Data availability
Corporate-linkage information for this entity is not found: no verified parent, subsidiary or affiliate relationship could be established from Companies House filings or company announcements as of 22 September 2026.
Sources
- Companies House, persons with significant control — find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03507286/persons-with-significant-control — retrieved 22 September 2026
- Companies House company search, "Blackbird" — retrieved 22 September 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does BLACKBIRD PLC do?
Cloud-native video editing and production software (Blackbird platform) and the elevate.io collaborative content-creation platform, used by broadcasters, rights holders and content producers.
Who owns BLACKBIRD PLC?
Major disclosed holders include Premier Miton Group plc at 10.87% of voting rights (July 2026) and director Stephen Streater with 62,785,000 shares (about 17.05% as of Sept 2023, since diluted by share issuance).
Who is BLACKBIRD PLC's UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner)?
Companies House records no active person with significant control; a statement in force since 26 June 2018 confirms none currently meets the notification threshold.
What is BLACKBIRD PLC's company registration number?
BLACKBIRD PLC's registration number is 03507286, filed with Companies House in United Kingdom. Its current status on the register is active.
Is BLACKBIRD PLC still an active company?
BLACKBIRD PLC's status on Companies House is listed as active.
When was BLACKBIRD PLC incorporated?
BLACKBIRD PLC was incorporated on 10 February 1998, according to Companies House.
What is BLACKBIRD PLC's registered address?
The registered address on file for BLACKBIRD PLC is London, United Kingdom.
What legal structure is BLACKBIRD PLC registered as?
BLACKBIRD PLC is registered as a Public Limited Company in United Kingdom.
What is BLACKBIRD PLC's revenue?
FY2025 revenue was approximately £1.38 million, down from £1.61 million in FY2024 (year end 31 December).
Is BLACKBIRD PLC listed on a stock exchange?
Listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange under ticker BIRD (ISIN GB0004740477); previously Forbidden Technologies plc (ticker FBT) until 15 May 2019.
Who are the officers/directors of BLACKBIRD PLC?
6 active officers: directors Stephen Streater, Ian McDonough, Stephen White, Nicholas Lisher and Youri Hazanov, plus company secretary Martin Kay.
Does BLACKBIRD PLC have a parent company or subsidiaries?
No verified parent or subsidiary relationships identified; appears to operate as a standalone entity.
Can Zavia monitor changes to BLACKBIRD PLC's ownership over time?
This profile reflects a point-in-time snapshot from Companies House. Zavia's monitoring API can track changes to BLACKBIRD PLC's registered shareholders, officers, and group structure going forward, flagging updates as they're filed rather than requiring a manual recheck.
Can I access BLACKBIRD PLC's data through an API?
Yes. Zavia's API connects directly to official government ownership registries across 195 countries and territories, including United Kingdom, so records like BLACKBIRD PLC's registration, shareholder, UBO, and group-structure data can be queried programmatically instead of viewed one page at a time.
Where does this company information come from, and how current is it?
This record is sourced directly from Companies House and was last synced on 22 September 2026.