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Ad filmmakers’ express displeasure over I&B ministry’s guideline
MUMBAI: If there’s one group of production professionals who believe that the ministry of information and broadcasting could have done better with its recently released standard operating procedures (SOPs) for filming again, it is the TV commercial film makers.
According to the Association of Advertising Producers (ASAP), the ministry could have been more granular or detailed in the SOPs.
ASAP honorary general secretary and Corcoise Films executive producer Cyrus Pagdiwala points out that the I&B ministry’s guidelines are very loosely drafted, risk factors have not been considered nor has it offered any comprehensive solutions. He believes ASAP’s Covid209 measures are far more encompassing and detailed in terms of safety measures, than the I&B’s SOPs.
TV commercial film makers have already been on the floors, filming commercials for more than a month now, adhering strictly to the ASAP protocols, which mandate risk assessment and plans, leave of absence if anyone on the production shows symptoms of illness, influenza or a simple cough, safe transport for employees and so on.
“We are not completely satisfied by the government’s directive. There is no specific detail about how many people can be present on the set. The criteria of 33 percent cast and crew members on the set is extremely vague. A larger production unit can still manage to have more people on the set. I believe in a place like India it is not possible to put a number on how many people can be there on the set. Some errant producers can lie about the number of professionals on the site, if one were to look at the I&B SOPs. In some countries the government has specified that you cannot have more than 45 people on the set so something like that can be done in India,” adds Pagdiwala.
Cutting Edge Production executive producer and ASAP member Billoo Sandhu agrees that the I&B guidelines are basic. He recently shot an ad film in Chandigarh and believes with the opening up of filming across India, film makers can now start planning big budget commercials which were hitherto a no-no, courtesy the lockdowns and restrictions.
Says he: “Now shooting is not limited to just Mumbai and nearby places, now we will start looking at other studios. But I think shooting in containment zones will still not be allowed as it is not safe. However, the states which are not film friendly will now allow us based on these guidelines.”
Pagdiwala is pleased that film makers can now travel and shoot in other locations but says the central government’s announcement has come much too late. “Because, Maharashtra government has allowed shooting two months back. So, this directive laid by the central government sounds weak and too dated,” he further states.
Cutawayy Films executive producer Gaurrav Dhar opines that the centre’s directive to have a Covid2019 coordinator on every shoot is welcome, though he would like to see a specialist or professional appointee being given that responsibility. According to him the I&B’s guidelines have helped remove the stigma that has come to be associated with Covid2019. “While shooting if there are similar protocols and guidelines across, shooting becomes easier and everybody is in sync,” he adds.
Ogilvy Group 82.5 Communications chairman and chief creative officer Sumanto Chattopadhyay said that while shooting the team is strictly adhering to all the safety measures. Chattopadhyay has been handling shoots in Mumbai, Bangalore, Kerala and several other places remotely through Zoom calls.
Ad-filmmakers highlight that with the IPL being flagged of in September, the requirement for TVCs is going to skyrocket. “We hope that October onwards, business will be back on track,” says Pagdiwala.
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.
