Fiction
Mumbaikar Nikhil’ and his wife appear on the ‘By Invite Only’ set
Mumbai: Amazon miniTV – Amazon’s free video streaming service, today dropped the promo of the upcoming episode of its celebrity chat show ‘By Invite Only’. Every weekly episode of ‘By Invite Only’ offers significant doses of fun, banter, quirky responses, performances and catching the guests off guard, keeping the vibe sassy, engaging and fun! The latest promo sees one of India’s most popular YouTubers – Nikhil Kumar Sharma a.k.a Mumbaikar Nikhil and his wife Shanice.
The promo gives a glimpse of Renil roasting his guests with all his wittiness and getting them to their best element of fun. Besides, Renil asks Nikhil about his first relationship, and Shanice acts all sarcastic, Nikhil and Shanice share their views about their baby Sky’s exposure on the YouTube channel to which Shanice said, “I never believed in forcing the kid to perform in front of the camera. We only love to capture her true spirits/elements, whatever she does for herself, she is nothing but a baby now”.
The highlight of the promo however is the fun banter between the couple, and Shanice’s amusing and blithe responses for Nikhil seem to be the episode stealer. Before appearing on the show Nikhil shared his anticipation and said, “I love the camera and I love to stay in touch with my followers/people and share the highlights of my day & life, but being on a chat show, with a host that swears to put you in trouble along with my wife Shanice, I am sure the audience is going to have a gala time watching us converse, while Renil throws intriguing and tricky questions at us”.
“I love candid conversations that just flow as we speak and By Invite Only is that kind of a chat show where guests forget they are on screen because Renil makes it so easy to vibe in, I have seen a few episodes and I am excited to be on it with my husband and so looking forward to spending some pleasant time”, said Shanice.
By Invite Only is produced by The Zoom Studios and the episode will stream on 8 May on Amazon miniTV for free, available within Amazon’s shopping app and Fire TV.
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.
