Fiction
Balaji Telefilms sees stronger Q2 FY21
KOLKATA: The Ekta Kapoor headed content production house Balaji Telefilms on Monday reported a consolidated revenue of Rs 78.3 crore in the second quarter, up 123 per cent from Rs 35.05 crore in the first quarter. The company has narrowed down EBIDTA to a negative Rs 12.4 crore from the negartive Rs 26.3 crore in the previous quarter. The company has posted a net loss of Rs 19.5 crore again an improvement over Rs 27.9 crore in Q1 2020.
In a regulatory filing, Balaji Telefilms has stated that content production has resumed slowly leading to higher production cost of Rs 60.5 crore. 176.5 hours of TV content have been produced in the quarter. Six shows were on air during the quarter and the company is expected to launch two new shows in the coming quarter.
“This quarter we took steps to restore our content production activity and have slowly returned to more normal levels of TV content production. The teams are adapting to the new processes of shooting and I am confident we will adapt quickly given our strength and successful track record. Our digital businesses had limited fresh content during the quarter but we have managed to get better engagement using our library of over 65 original shows. We will soon restart adding more shows to the platform as shows are ready for launch. Overall some of the cost optimization programs initiated should continue to allow us to see strong profitability as our operations return to pre-COVID levels,” Balaji Telefilms managing director Shobha Kapoor said.
Total Revenue for ALTBalaji stood at Rs 14.7 for the quarter compared to Rs 14.9 in the previous quarter. The OTT platform has witnessed a marginal uptick in international subscriptions as it is gaining traction globally. While average daily subscriber addition in the quarter has stood at 9000, average revenue per user (ARPU) remains between Rs 140 to Rs 150 a year.
The direct subscription revenue has witnessed a marginal de-growth as the country has slowly opened up and customers are returning back to work and social commitments. Moreover, revenue from its Zee5 deal has also resumed in the quarter. As there has been a huge change in content consumption trends, the recent lockdown has accelerated the shift of consumer base from tier 1 into non-metro and tier II or tier III towns and cities.
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.
