Fiction
MIPChina virtual edition starts tomorrow
MUMBAI: Everyone thought exhibitions and industry gatherings are dead, courtesy Covid2019, right? Reed Midem is just about to prove them wrong with its fourth edition of its MIPChina endeavour, which normally takes place in the beautiful city of Hangzhou in China. It consists of face to face meetings which are preset depending on buyers and sellers' preferences when they register for the market. Additionally, conferences around the Chinese market are held and networking parties as well.
This year, starting from tomorrow, 28 July, MIPChina has totally moved online and will be held over four days. Close to 3500 meetings have been designed for the 170 odd buyers and sellers who have signed up for it. Indian majors such as ZeeTV, Disney Star India, In10 Media, IndiaSpark and Lattu Kids are participating in MIPChina.
“We are delighted to bring MIPChina to the world,” says Reed Midem’s Ted Baracoss. “It’s the first of the content trading markets which is kicking off. And we are hoping many deals will be struck. We are doing this for the love of TV. The meetings are going to be held across 12 different time zones.”
CMM director Kristian Kender says that the mood is buoyant, television channels need content and hence MIPChina was rolled out. “You have to be flexible when doing deals with the Chinese,” he said. “In terms of contracts, taxation issues, it’s best to have clarity right from the get-go.”
CMM is the representative in China for Reed Midem’s markets like MIPCOM, MipTV, MipChina, MIPCancun, among others.
All3Media, ABC, Arte France, Beta Film , Beyond Distribution, Caracoal Television. Bilibili group, IQiyi, China Huace Film Group, Dorimedia, Entertainment One TV, Fuji TV, Global Screen, Global Agency, Kanal D, Hari International, Nippon TV, MediaCorp, Paramount, TV Tokyo, Rai, Warner Bros, ZDF, Alibaba, ANTV, Astro Malayasia, Bytedance, Fuji TV, Huanxee, Henri Advertising, Huawei, JY Animation, KBS Media, Kanal 7, Tencent, TBS, TV Tokyo, Viacom CBS Media, Youkou, are among some of the leading firms that are participating in MIPChina.
MIPChina’s conference schedule will, however, take place in September.
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.
