Fiction
FremantleMedia International renews Jamie Oliver output deal
MUMBAI: FremantleMedia International (FMI), the global distribution division of FremantleMedia, one of the largest creators, producers and distributors of television entertainment brands in the world, has extended its output deal with Jamie Oliver’s indie, Fresh One Productions Ltd, it announced today. Under the terms of the arrangement, FremantleMedia International will continue to be the exclusive distribution and first-look partner for all Fresh One productions featuring Jamie Oliver. The deal allows FMI to distribute tape sales from Oliver’s existing shows- such as Jamie’s Money Saving Meals/Save With Jamie; Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feasts and Jamie’s 15-Minute Meals – and includes those made under the terms of the original deal as well as any future titles.
Bob McCourt, Acting CEO, FremantleMedia International, said, “Jamie Oliver is one of the world’s most pioneering and sought-after TV personalities, renowned for his global campaigning work as well as the diversity and quality of his output. He has been a stalwart of the FremantleMedia International catalogue for over a decade and I’m delighted that we are continuing our relationship with him and the team at Fresh One Productions.” Tara Donovan, CEO, Jamie Oliver Media added: “We are delighted to be continuing the relationship with FremantleMedia International. Their international sales network has helped to take our shows across the world and in doing so, has spread the message that food and home-cooking is a joy to be embraced by everyone.”
FMI began its relationship with Fresh One in 2002, when it began distributing Oliver’s Twist on behalf of the international chef and campaigner. That title continues to whet the appetite of international buyers and has so far been sold to over 200 territories. Meanwhile, Oliver’s most recent title Jamie’s Money Saving Meals/Save with Jamie, which FMI launched at MIPCOM in October 2013, has already sold to over 100 territories to date.
In April, FMI will be bringing two new Oliver titles to the international marketplace: Jamie and Jimmy’s Food Fight Club S2, in which childhood friends Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty embark on further culinary adventures, creating incredible food with celebrity guests including Usain Bolt and Sienna Miller, and Jamie’s Festive Feasts a celebration of the lazy winter days at the end of the year after Christmas when it’s time to kick back, spend some quality time with family and friends, and cook up some amazing dishes.
Founded by Jamie Oliver in 2001 and now led by the creative brains behind hit shows from The X-Factor and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Jamie’s Kitchen and 30-Minute Meals to Operatunity and Ballet Changed My Life, the company has broadened out to make acclaimed food formats such as Chef Race, The Restaurant Inspector and Two Greedy Italians; hit formats such as Dream School – now in its second season in the US; documentary series and singles such as The Men Who Made Us Fat/Thin, The Sound of Musicals, Richard Pryor Omit the Logic, Mad Dog: Gaddafi’s Secret World and even dramas such as Spies of Warsaw with David Tennant.
Fiction
Banijay merges with All3Media in $6.65 billion deal
Marco Bassetti will lead the combined company as CEO
PARIS: Six years after acquiring Endemol Shine at the height of the pandemic, Banijay has struck again. The European production heavyweight is merging with All3Media in a deal that will create a television titan with $6.65 billion in revenue and redraw the contours of a fast-consolidating market.
The combined company will trade under the Banijay name and be owned 50 per cent each by Banijay Group and RedBird IMI, which acquired All3Media in 2024. The transaction is expected to close by autumn, subject to regulatory approvals.
Banijay Entertainment CEO Marco Bassetti, will take the top job at the enlarged group. All3Media CEO Jane Turton becomes deputy CEO. RedBird IMI CEO Jeff Zucker will serve as chairman.
The logic is scale. Broadcasters are commissioning less, streamers are tightening budgets and global buyers are fewer but bigger. Against that backdrop, heft matters. The merged entity will generate roughly $6.65 billion in revenues based on 2024 figures, giving it sharper elbows in rights negotiations and deeper pockets for franchise-building.
“Entrepreneurialism, ambition and creativity” remain core to Banijay’s DNA, Bassetti said, flagging plans to invest more heavily in new intellectual property, live events and emerging platforms. Turton struck a similarly bullish note, pointing to All3Media’s journey from a 2003 start-up to a global supplier of hit formats and high-end drama.
Between them, the two groups control a formidable slate. Banijay’s catalogue spans MasterChef, Big Brother, Survivor, Black Mirror, Peaky Blinders and Deal or No Deal. All3Media’s labels include Studio Lambert, producer of The Traitors and Squid Game: The Challenge; Two Brothers, behind The Tourist; and Neal Street, currently producing the forthcoming Beatles biopics directed by Sam Mendes for Sony.
The back catalogue is equally muscular. Banijay Rights holds some 220,000 hours, while All3Media International adds around 35,000 hours, forming one of the industry’s largest libraries.
Banijay, controlled by French entrepreneur Stéphane Courbit and listed in Amsterdam, counts more than 130 production companies across 25 territories. All3Media operates over 40 labels, with strong positions in the UK, US and Germany. The enlarged group will also lean into live entertainment, building on Banijay’s Balich Wonder Studio, which produced the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, and the Independents.
The deal marks a shift in tone. As recently as October, Bassetti suggested that mergers and acquisitions were not a priority. But the drumbeat of consolidation has grown louder. Mediawan has moved for Peter Chernin’s North Road. David Ellison’s Paramount has agreed to a $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros, with plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount plus. ITV has explored selling its media and entertainment arm to Comcast-owned Sky, though talks have reportedly slowed.
