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Malta tourism minister Mizzi invites content producers to Malta
MALTA: The international leg of the International Radio Festival 2018 (IRF 2018) kicked off in a grand style in the Cultural Capital of Europe for 2018 – Valletta, the capital city of the island nation of Malta, yesterday evening (31 October 2018). The Maltese Minister for Tourism Konrad Mizzi opened IRF 2018 officially for international participants. Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) CEO Gavin Gulia was the other notable VIP from Malta present. About 150 Radio professionals from across the world and Malta and Italy along with 30 registrations participated in the event. Among the radio professionals was the winner of the Sound of India contest RJ Devaki.
“There will be 100 million listeners of IRF 2018,” said IRF founder and festival director Darryl von Daniken while inviting Mizzi to open IRF 2018.
“This is really a celebration of wonderful channels coming together here and broadcasting from Malta,” said Mizzi after thanking all the IRF participants for coming to Malta. “I’m delighted to welcome you all to the city of Valletta, the city of culture. Malta has been changing over the last few years. We’re welcoming nearly 2 million tourists every year and another 800,000 come by cruise liners. We’ve changed from becoming to resort to a city destination. We pride ourselves in having good cuisine, lovely beautiful shows, good parties and good music. Malta is a cosmopolitan place which welcomes business, tourists and welcomes people to come and work here.”
Speaking with www.indiantelevision.com senior editor Tarachand Wanvari, Mizzi said, “Malta has developed its tourism industry since independence in1964. Now we must have a diversified economy. We have changed from being a resort destination to more of a leisure destination. People come here for 5-6 days, where they can enjoy history, culture and also have fun. We’re trying to create festivals for people of all ages. So we have young festivals like Isle of MTV, but we also have initiative for older generations where festivals such as this (IRF) will bring people together and radio stations from all over the world to discuss a non-controversial topic like radio and music and have fun. We want to be a place where people meet, feel at home, more as a cosmopolitan nation, becoming a cosmopolitan city and we want to act as a gateway to the Mediterranean.”
Speaking about benefits for the media and entertainment industry, Mizzi explained, “Malta has amazing facilities. We have the film studio with the largest water tanks in the world where large movies have been filmed and amazing outdoor areas and 200 days of sunshine. That is the reason why films like Gladiator and Troy have been filmed here. More recently, we are also attracting Bollywood Movies. Also, the tax incentives and cash rebate system incentivise productions to be done in Malta. We have a 26 per cent cash rebate. As of next January, that cash rebate is going to increase to 40 per cent which will make it the most competitive cash rebate for producers from around the world.”
“We encourage producers to make more content in Malta. The supply chain is amazing, props are available. If they want costumes, equipment for making films, they are available here. We would also encourage companies to set up their own productions companies for individual movies in Malta.”
Mizzi confirmed that the cash incentives would also apply to television companies for television shows. “They will get the same incentives and cash benefits as films. We support television series, especially now, with the advent of Netflix and online content. We support that,” he said.
During an impromptu on-air in India mini interview with Devaki, Mizzi’s message to India was, “Come to Malta, you will feel welcome here. It’s an amazing place that has also Indian culture. There’s an Indian community here. At the same time, I am also encouraging people from here to visit the beautiful Mumbai, Delhi, to visit Rajasthan and Udaipur and all the wonderful places around India.”
The minister said that sequences of two Indian movies – Bharat and Thugs of India were shot in Malta. Besides having met Bollywood star Salman Khan (with and without his shirt on) during his production of Bharat, the minister informed that Bollywood diva Vidya Balan would be visiting his country soon. The first edition of the Malta India awards that would alternate between Malta and Mumbai in India would happen in Malta in December this year Mizzi informed further.
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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.
