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CINTAA seeks donations to help film, TV artists amid COVID-19 crisis
MUMBAI: The cine and TV artistes' association (CINTAA) has appealed to the masses and its A-lister members to donate rations and funds for the benefit of film and TV artists who have lost their livelihood amid the ongoing 21-day lockdown.
“Since CINTAA has a very limited corpus, we are not a cash-rich association. Our charitable sister trust, the cine artist welfare trust (CAWT), is also running out of funds,” said actor and CINTAA senior joint secretary and chairperson outreach committee Amit Behl. “We have appealed to all our members and A-listers to start helping us by donating ration and some funds. We have also circulated the account number and IFSC of cine artist welfare trust giving them the benefit of 80G certificate.”
“The responses have already started pouring in. We have learnt that many of CINTAA's senior and well-established actors are also sending their appeal videos. Apart from members, A-listers and the masses, CINTAA has also approached the I&B ministry and Maharashtra government, urging them to request the broadcasters to release payments during this crisis. Generally, there is a 90-120 day cycle for clearing payments,” said Behl.
From CINTAA’s own corpus, the association has pledged to help their members in need. They have been making and distributing ration packets. “Also, Rs 2000 per member based on the actual needs is also being compensated. The start has happened. We are also trying our best to help our members,” affirmed Behl.
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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.
