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Banijay Asia partners with The Natural Studios to explore action-adventure genre
MUMBAI: Banijay Asia and The Natural Studios have announced their partnership to bring high-octane content to the Indian and Southeast Asian markets. The collaboration will bring scripted and non-scripted content in adventure and thrill genre on television as well as OTT platforms soon.
Banijay Asia CEO & founder Deepak Dhar says, “At Banijay Group and Banijay Asia we constantly look at pushing new trends into the market. In the last 17 – 18 months we already produced almost close to 25 shows in this market. Now we are constantly looking at new genres and content and given the evolving content landscape, we have got into a new partnership with Bear Grylls’ company National Studios to enter the new genre which is more adventure and thrill-based content. We are looking at pushing a full slate of ideas under this partnership.”
The partnership will bring out both scripted and non-scripted content in the action-adventure genre. “Right now, the content landscape is changing so much with the SVOD players, I think a partnership with Bear Grylls in the adventure-thrill space will bring out both scripted and unscripted content,” informs Dhar.
With the new partnership, the company’s target audience would be youth. “Action and thrill content is something that the youth enjoys and it’s possibly for the SVOD space because a lot of youth are watching SVOD content. It’s a very organic fit and I am excited to develop content along with Bear Grylls,” he adds.
The group partnership is the first for The Natural Studios, a JV launched with Bear Grylls and Delbert Shoopman in October 2019. Combining Grylls and Shoopman’s expertise in the adventure space with Deepak Dhar-led Banijay Asia’s extensive territory knowledge, the united operation will create and build the high-octane genre in the subcontinent. With work already underway on a development slate of projects in India and Southeast Asia, they hope to announce their first green-lit title in the coming weeks.
The Natural Studios Co-CEO Delbert Shoopman comments, “Conversations with Deepak followed almost immediately after launching the JV. Together we all could see the potential of venturing into a new space in India and Banijay Asia’s knowledge and contacts have been invaluable in making it a reality. Already, the response from the market has been positive and we are all looking forward to working together to establish a new genre and original IP.”
“In 20 months, we have made Banijay Asia into a credible and creative content driver, which delivers high- quality content to clients across the board. The partnership with The Natural Studios came at the perfect time, as we look to create and bring new genres into the country and the region. Adrenaline-fuelled projects have been relatively unexplored with huge potential on the horizon, and with Bear and Delbert, we are confident we have what it takes to turn this genre into a must-have for buyers in Asia and around the world,” Dhar comments.
In a short span of 20 months, the content creation group has produced 25 shows -spanning languages, platforms and audiences across television and digital with 600+ hours of content and 14 shows on air and 8 in production right now.
Over the months, Banijay Asia has collaborated and devised strategic partnerships with the talents who are best in their business like Salman Khan’s TV, MS Dhoni’s Dhoni Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Group M’s Motion Content Group, Talpa Global and Wavemaker to create content across television and web platforms for Indian and South-East Asian audiences.
“Including original scripts and adaptation of international formats is always the first step to expand and create something new as well as unique. Additionally, building meaningful strategic alliances with A-listed talent to not only expand the business but also ensure a quality product. In addition to that, advertiser-funded programmes like the one with GroupM is a great step as it has the potential for massive revenue. We are looking at Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia in terms of expanding,” says Dhar.
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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.
