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Balaji Telefilms takes positive steps after actor tests Covid2019 positive
MUMBAI: Television actor Parth Samthaan, who is best known for his role in Balaji Telefilms' Kasautii Zindagii Kay, tested positive for Covid2019 on Sunday. The actor shared the news on Instagram and revealed that he was showing mild symptoms but with doctors' guidance, he is self-quarantining at home.
https://www.instagram.com/the_parthsamthaan/?utm_source=ig_embed
Balaji Telefilms COO Ketan Gupta tells indiantelevision.com that the production house is strictly following all the SOP measures and guidelines laid by the government. He mentions that people’s safety and security is the most important thing for Balaji Telefilms.
He informs that Samthaan tested positive when he was at home and not at the set. He says, “The moment we got to know that Parth Samthaan has tested positive for Covid2019, we immediately packed up the entire unit, as well as sanitised it. We called an ambulance so that everybody in the unit can have their swab tests done. Apart from the crew, we are also doing tests for actors who have recently interacted with Parth. The results are awaited. In the meantime, our production house will be closed for three days for sanitisation, cleaning, fumigation and other measures.”
He further explains that the studio will be closely monitoring the people who were present on the set to ensure that they are safe. Gupta clarifies that even if a similar situation arises in the future, the company will not replace the main leads. “We will bring changes in the storyline until he is back. We have around eight to nine episodes in the bank,” he adds.
Meanwhile, Ekta Kapoor and Balaji Telefilms have released an official statement. It reads: “We would like to inform various stakeholders that one of our talent from the show ‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay’ has tested positive for Covid2019 and is now receiving medical attention. Our first priority is to help protect our talent, production crew and employees. We are taking all the precautions detailed in the guideline. We were and will continue following all medical protocols set by the authorities and have implemented guidelines concerning social interactions, hygiene, travel and visits to the sets.”
All necessary precautions being taken, SOPs being followed. Health & safety comes first to us all at Balaji.
Take care.
Jai Mata Dihttps://t.co/9aSYXtKCY0— Ekta Kapoor (@ektarkapoor) July 12, 2020
Television actor Karan Patel who will be essaying the role of new Mr Bajaj in Kasautii Zindagii Kay reboot and his immediate family members will also get tested for Covid2019.
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.
