Fiction
Balaji Telefilms commissioned programs, ALT Balaji numbers up in Q1 2019
BENGALURU: The Jitendra Kapoor-Shobha Kapoor-Ektaa Kapoor-led Balaji Telefilms Ltd reported 33.1 percent y-o-y growth in revenue from its Commissioned Programmes (CP) segment for the quarter ended 30 June 2019 (Q1 2020, quarter or period under review) as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter. The company also reported more than doubling (up 113.1 percent) of revenue from its Digital segment (ALT Balaji) in the quarter under review as compared to Q1 2019. Revenue for Balaji Telefilms CP segment for Q1 2020 and Q1 2019 was Rs 93.17 crore and Rs 70.01 crore respectively. Revenue from ALT Balaji was Rs 12.33 crore and Rs 5.78 crore for Q1 2020 and Q2 2019 respectively. The company reported less than one-fortieth operating revenue (down 97.5 percent) for Q1 2020 at Rs 1.67 crore as compared to Rs 68.04 crore from its films segment
Overall, on a consolidated basis, Balaji Telefilms reported 26.7 percent y-o-y decline in operating revenue for Q1 2020 at Rs 90.52 crore from Rs 123.44 crore. The company explained that there were no film releases during Q1 2020, as compared to 1 film that was released in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Consolidated EBITDA for Q1 2020 was an operating loss of Rs 33.24 crore as compared to an operating loss of 27.98 crore in Q1 2019. The company reported a consolidated loss of Rs 41.54 crore for the quarter under review as compared to a consolidated loss of Rs 27.03 crore in Q1 2019.
The company reported an operating profit (result) of Rs 9.67 crore for Q1 2020 as compared to a loss of Rs 2.12 crore in Q1 2019 from its CP segment. Commissioned programming hours in Q1 2020 increased 15 percent y-o-y to 195.5 from 170.5 in Q1 2019. Revenue from commission programmes increased 21 percent y-o-y to Rs 69.6 crore in Q1 2020 from Rs 57.3 crore in Q1 2019. Net realisation per hour increased 5 percent in Q1 2020 to Rs 0.36 crore from Rs 0.35 crore in Q1 2019.
For ALT Balaji, the company reported a higher operating loss (result) of Rs 36.83 crore for Q1 2020 as compared to a loss of Rs 28.76 crore for Q1 2019. The company reported 25.3 million subscribers at the end of Q1 2020 as compared to 3.4 million subscribers at the end of Q1 2019. As on 8 August 2020, Balaji Telefilms claims that it had 27.3 million subscribers. (100 lakhs = 10 million = 1 crore)
For its Films segment, Balaji Telefilms reported an operating loss (result) of Rs 0.10 crore for the quarter under review as compared to an operating profit of Rs 8.91 crore in Q1 2019.
On a standalone basis, Balaji Telefilms operating revenue in Q1 2020 declined 38 percent to Rs 82.85 crore from Rs 133.65 crore in Q1 2019. EBITDA for Q1 2010 was Rs 10.56 crore as compared to an operating loss of Rs 0.88 crore for Q1 2019. The company reported standalone profit after tax of Rs 2.53 crore as compared to a loss of Rs 1.20 crore for Q1 2019.
Balaji Telefilms managing director Shobha Kapoor said, “Operationally this was a good quarter with strong performance across all business and the two deals in our movie and digital business dramatically improves our financial profile going forward and will allow us to pursue our growth ambitions. I also take this opportunity to thank Sunil Lulla our Group CEO who has decided to pursue other opportunities after a brief period with us. Sunil leaves Balaji Telefilms in a very strong position for future growth and the rest of the leadership team will continue to drive the business forward.”
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.
