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CINTAA states no Pakistani actor its member
MUMBAI: The Cine and TV Artistes’ Association (CINTAA) has released an official statement clarifying that no Pakistani actor is a member of the association and it also highlights that if the actors have applied for work permits, they will not get renewed.
The statement was issued by CINTAA Outreach Committee senior joint secretary and chairperson Amit Behl. In the release he mentioned that CINTAA is the oldest and the largest union of performing artistes in the country. All the actors are law-abiding citizens and the association is very nationalistic and pro-India.
The official statement said that CINTAA being a strong scrutiny committee is very clear that the association does not give membership to anyone who has anti-nationalistic feelings or any criminal records whatsoever.
Behl said, “Whatever has happened right now, I am sure the government, the CBI and the other investigating agencies will do the needful about it. The only thing is that in case any of our actors, technicians or anyone from the media and entertainment industry realise that they are in touch with anyone who has anti-nationalistic feelings, they should definitely dissociate themselves.”
The association aims at supporting any directive from the ministry of home affairs and the government.
It said, “We as a union cannot comment on the authenticity of the photographs, but we are very confident that all our members, if inadvertently, have at all been photographed with such individuals, during their visits abroad, will distance themselves from any anti-national elements or those with deep state leanings, favouring a nation that has not respected India’s courtesy and respectful overtures."
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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.
