Fiction
Paramount Players hires Jeremy Kramer as president
MUMBAI: Paramount Pictures has hired former 20th Century Studios executive Jeremy Kramer as president of Paramount Players.
There were reports that Kramer was up for the post at the genre label, which was tasked with creating films from "unique, contemporary" voices.
“Jeremy has a proven track record of nurturing talent, both established and new, supporting their vision and helping them execute at the highest level – from Let’s Be Cops to Kingsman to Deadpool,” said the studio’s motion picture group president Emma Watts, who previously worked with Kramer at 20th Century Fox. “There’s isn’t a movie that he’s worked on that he hasn’t made better. The challenges of ensuring that Paramount Players grows and addresses the demands of our various audiences are formidable and we know that Jeremy is up to this task and we welcome him to our team.”
Joining Kramer at Paramount Players as senior EVP is Ashley Brucks, who has overseen both instalments of A Quiet Place and other Paramount hits.
“The Players team is all the more strengthened by the addition of Ashley Brucks, whose taste, relationships and expertise have been a guiding force in many of Paramount Pictures’ recent hits. We look forward to what she will accomplish in this new opportunity,” added Watts.
Kramer began his career as a producer for Noah Baumbach’s directorial debut Kicking and Screaming in 1995. After stints at the MPCA and Orion, he was tapped as senior vice president at Miramax Films production in 1998. In 2004, Kramer joined DreamWorks, where he worked closely with Ben Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld’s Red Hour Films.
Brucks has overseen production of several hit films at the major studio over the past decade, including the Paranormal Activity series. Currently, she is supervising for Paramount an upcoming revival of Scream, as well as an adaptation of the Broadway musical version of Mean Girls, a show written by 30 Rock star Tina Fey, with Lorne Michaels producing.
“My years working with Emma and Jim [Gianopulos, chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures] at Fox were some of the most enjoyable and rewarding days I’ve had in the film business, and I am fortunate and excited to make movies with them again,” said Kramer. “We’re excited to build a slate of commercial movies that will empower new voices and experienced filmmakers to deliver the original movies that audiences crave.”
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.
