MAM
Iris enters Middle East due to growing client demand
MUMBAI: Global creative innovation network, Iris Worldwide, is entering the Middle East with the launch of its first office in Dubai this month.
The creative agency is launching operations in Middle East due to a growing number of clients requesting the agency‘s services in the MENA region.
Iris, whose Asia footprint spans offices in Singapore, Sydney, Shanghai, Delhi and Jakarta, has signed an agreement with Expression in the Middle East.
The partnership will see Iris introduce its agency model and creative offering to the MENA region for the first time, which has seen it win a number of regional briefs in recent months, such as Diageo and 3M.
Expression will formally join the iris network today, when Expression‘s office – based at Al Thuraya Tower in Dubai‘s Media City – will officially be branded as an Iris office.
Iris Middle East will be led by Scott Feasey as MD and David Brook as creative director. Its team will offer a full house of through-the-line creative services including advertising, branding, CRM, design, direct, interactive, promotional and strategy.
The office will launch with a client base including Expression‘s existing clients, which include Unilever, Lufthansa, Jumeirah International, Bridgestone, Gulf Food Industries, Ray-Ban, Carrefour Express, Dubai Chamber and Danone, as well as iris‘ regional clients, which include Sony Mobile, Shell and adidas.
Iris for regional CEO Asia Pacific Luke Nathans said, “We‘re thrilled to be entering the Middle East – it‘s another great step forward for us. We‘re always looking for people that share our values, and there is a real synergy between Expression and iris. Expression, like iris, is not bound by conventional media or discipline thinking and we‘ve admired each other‘s work for a long time so this makes a lot of sense.”
Feasey added, “We‘ve always been great fans of iris – they‘re leading the pack with their forward-thinking approach to creativity. Iris arriving in the Middle East will take consumer engagement and creativity in the region to a new level. We‘re looking forward to offering the MENA region the iris way of building and growing brands. Our clients are really excited.”
The deal will allow clients to tap into the scale and resources of the iris global network, which includes offices in the US, Europe and China as well as digital, planning, research, CRM, social and creative capabilities.
Expression, which launched in Dubai in 2002, is an independent communication agency.
The opening follows Iiris‘ latest launch in November 2011 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Iris is currently eyeing locations in the West Coast of the US and Brazil.
MAM
Banijay eyes live events as major growth driver beyond TV
IP like ‘Black Mirror’ set for immersive experiences in 2026, gaming division powers profitability.
MUMBAI: Banijay is turning screens into stages because when your IP is this golden, even the live crowd wants an encore. Banijay, the French entertainment group, on Thursday flagged live events and franchise extensions as key growth engines for 2026 and beyond, ahead of its planned merger with All3Media. CEO François Riahi told reporters that the company’s strongest content IP is increasingly generating value off-screen, pointing to the upcoming immersive live experiences based on ‘Black Mirror’ in 2026 as a prime example.
“We have a gold mine that we’re not fully exploiting,” Riahi said. He cited the intense bidding war between Paramount and Netflix for Warner’s portfolio as proof of how fundamental IP has become in today’s entertainment landscape. “That gives you an idea of how essential IP is today,” he added.
On the financial front, Banijay’s production consolidated revenue edged up 0.4 per cent excluding currency effects to €3.29 billion in 2025. Its online betting division led by Betclic and bolstered by the recent Tipico acquisition grew 10.2 per cent to €1.59 billion, accounting for roughly one-third of group revenue but nearly half of profitability. Combined EBITDA rose 8.6 per cent to €961 million.
Riahi said the gaming division is poised to benefit in 2026 from major sporting events including the soccer World Cup, with focus on customer acquisition across Betclic and Tipico.
Banijay will provide detailed mid-term financial guidance, incorporating recent acquisitions, during its strategic update on 26 March 2026.
In an industry where stories no longer end at the credits, Banijay isn’t just producing content, it’s turning franchises into full-spectrum entertainment empires, one live experience and one bet at a time.
