Fiction
NBC-Universal buys ‘paranormal’ series from Bomanbridge
MUMBAI/ SINGAPORE: Bomanbridge Media, a Singapore-based content distribution and production agency, announced a series of paranormal series programme sales to NBC-Universal’s Syfy and Celestial.
NBC Universal’s Syfy acquired the iconic series A Haunting – a paranormal anthology television series that depicts eyewitness accounts of possession, exorcism, and ghostly encounters. They also acquired RIP Files a series that follows paranormal investigators, based in Washington DC, who use their psychic abilities and their deep knowledge of metaphysical techniques to interact with the entities they encounter at haunted locations. These investigators encourage the spirits to share their stories in their own words through amazing EVPs and other evidence that is bridging the gap between the worlds of science and spirituality.
Celestial, Thrill channel, took another season of the long-running Most Haunted series. The multiple award-winning paranormal investigation series seeks the truth into whether ghosts really do exist. The team, led by Yvette Fielding, spends 24 hours investigating infamously haunted locations to uncover mysteries and bring an honest account of reported paranormal activity. Most Haunted has been shown in more than 80 countries, reached over 200 thrilling episodes and is one of the UK’s longest-running and most successful series.
“Bomanbridge carries great paranormal content within the catalogue and with the expansion of paranormal genre and channels in Asia, we hope to maintain our edge in this entertaining genre,” said Bomanbridge Media CEO Sonia Fleck.
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.
