Fiction
Balaji Telefilms to launch shows across genres
MUMBAI: As the `K’ mania continues; the coming months will see a lot of action from the Balaji Telefilms stable. While the production house is in the process of giving finishing touches to its new film venture Kyaa Kool Hai Hum directed by Sangeeth Sivan; it also continues to work towards its new shows due to be released across various genres on different channels.
Coming up, among other shows, is a format programme like X Files. Offering a sneak peek on the new shows lined up across various channels, Balaji Telefilms creative director Ekta Kapoor said, “This year we are looking at doing different genres across channels. To begin with, we are in the process of working on Kaisa Ye Pyaar Hain for Sony. We also have two shows for Star One, a proper format show like X Files and a comedy.” More immediately, Balaji’s new soap Kkavyanjali is set for release on 25 January on Star Plus.
Speaking exclusively to indiantelevision.com on the sidelines of a press conference to promote the music of the film by British Asian superstar Jay Sean, Kapoor said, “After saas-bahus, I am doing a sex comedy. With this film I’ve looked at the funny side of sex. It’s a film for the younger generation, and I just hope and pray that it is accepted by the audiences.”
Shedding light on the future plans for her company, the Queen Bee of soaps said, “Television is our bread and butter, but we will continue to make films at Balaji. And this despite the fact that my earlier films which were mostly thrillers did not rake in the moolah.”
She, however, refused to reveal the financial details of the films. When queried about the deal between Balaji Telefilms and Pritish Nandy Communications to co-produce films, she said: “We are in the process of talking to a lot of people in the movie content business because the logistics of the whole business have to be worked out. It, after all, has to be a profit making venture.” Sources close to the production house, however, confirmed that the co-produced movie was slated for release in the third quarter of the year.
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.
