Fiction
BBC Studios looks to partner with local platforms to bolster India presence
MUMBAI: India has become a fiercely contested territory for major streaming players as they look to drive sub-growth outside the maturing North American and western European markets.
BBC Studios, from the stable of the British public service broadcaster, recently unveiled a new content catalogue deal with new kid on the OTT block, Lionsgate Play. Under the agreement, five of BBC Studios' scripted dramas have been selected for the streaming service, with the shows subtitled into multiple regional Indian languages. The new deal, while bolstering the premium Lionsgate Play content portfolio, is tweaked to suit the tastes of the vastly diverse Indian audiences.
BBC Studios South Asia distribution VP Stanley Fernandes revealed that the partnership with Lionsgate Play was nurtured when the pandemic was at its peak.
“This augurs well for the state of the OTT industry. It’s good to see that there is demand and a growing audience for quality English-language entertainment. BBC Studios as a brand attracts its own set of audiences and we are happy to see that our programmes will now settle into Lionsgate Play amongst a rostrum of popular US shows,” said Fernandes.
At the heart of good content is storytelling, for which the BBC is well-known. The series covered under the deal are an eclectic mix of contemporary genres, including Brexit: The Uncivil War, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, which dives into the activities and strategies behind the 2016 "Vote Leave" campaign in the U.K. Also included is the eight-episode series Class, set in the universe of Doctor Who; Les Misérables, starring Dominic West and Oscar winner Olivia Colman; Pure, about a 24-year-old woman coping with obsessive-compulsive disorder; and the epic period drama SS-GB, which tells an alternative history set in 1941, where the Germans have won the Battle of Britain.
Fernandes is confident that the line-up will attract, engage and be appreciated by the discerning Indian viewer on Lionsgate Play. Said he: “We cater to a global audience and our aim is to bring world-class entertainment, with British sensibilities, to audiences locally. Thus far we have been successful with our content partnerships, branded blocks, and with our own branded channels which are appealing to Indian audiences. Our content is particularly viewed and enjoyed by audiences who invest time and money into their interest in content. This is a segment of the audience that Lionsgate is reaching out to, and we are confident that our content profile proposition will make for a successful partnership.”
Asked how he plans to distribute the content, he quipped that it’s not about mass appeal, rather it’s about targeted appeal. “It is a partnership – it’s a two-way process. As owners of our intellectual property, we know our content best and our partners understand their audiences. Finding that right mix of shows to not only attract audiences but sustain them is what makes a deal successful.”
Fernandes pointed out that BBC Studios’ content spans the bandwidth of, without being limited to, drama, comedy, natural history, science, children, lifestyle, documentaries, among others. This range of genres assists the content studio in supporting its partners to curate the right mix of shows that will garner audiences to their platforms by meeting targeted viewing requirements.
“In India, for now, our business plans are to align with local platforms and it’s in these platforms that we see our best partnerships. Having said that, this is an ever-evolving space and we are always on the lookout for opportunities to increase our brand outreach and audience share,” he explained.
But is the studio planning to target other Asian countries like Bangladesh, which is another big market in terms of content consumption? Fernandes shared that the aim is to reach out to as many audiences as it can, across platforms and territories. He further revealed that local partnerships in other South Asian markets are in sight.
“However, currently there is so much to focus on in India; our key business agenda is to grow existing partnerships and create new relationships across both linear and digital services with India as our priority market. Having said that, most of our licensing deals with key partners extend to territories within South Asia, covering territories such as Bangladesh, reaching out to our audiences within these bases,” he detailed.
BBC Studios is vaunted for its premium shows; it has a huge content library and due to the pandemic, there has been a surge in content consumption. Thus, investing in the streaming platforms is an obvious step, reasoned Fernandes. He pointed to BBC iPlayer in the UK, launched in 2007, and which can be accessed by all license fee payers in the UK. Subscribers of BBC Channels in Singapore and Malaysia have been given access to BBC Player. More recently, it launched BritBox in the US and Canada, followed by Australia in the last couple of months. BritBox is its JV partnership with ITV, bringing the best of British content to one dedicated service.
Additionally, BBC Studios all is set to launch a new, ad-free subscription streaming channel, BBC Select, in early 2021 on Amazon Prime video channels and the Apple TV app. BBC Select will offer a rich range of programs from the UK covering three main topics – culture, politics, and ideas.
Apart from Lionsgate Play, the studio is in talks with content players in both the digital as well as the linear space with new and innovative deals and business models. These deals are under contractual discussions and will be unveiled when formalised. For now, Fernandes mentioned the studio’s content is well received across both of its operated channels –CBeebies, which provides fun learning through play for pre-school kids, and on its JV partnership channel Sony BBC Earth, showcasing the best of factual entertainment. BBC Studios’ content is also seen across various digital platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, Discovery Plus, Disney+HotStar, Hungama, Tata Sky, Voot, and Voot Kids.
Shedding light on licensing and merchandising, Fernandes highlighted that content sales over the years have changed from pure fixed-fee license deals. Audiences know and understand content and brands, a key factor for BBC Studios’ businesses. For him, it’s all about adding value. In India, BBC brands and branded content are important to its audiences. The studio’s branded blocks such as BBC First on Zee Café, the cult following for shows such as Top Gear on Discovery Plus, Doctor Who on Amazon Prime Video attract core fan audiences. BBC Studio will also adapt BAFTA-nominated series One of Us in Telugu for Disney+ Hotstar.
He concluded, “Branded partnerships have been key in shaping our businesses, bringing our audiences closer to the best of world-class, bold, British entertainment in India.”
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.
