Fiction
‘Porus’ finds an audience in more countries
MUMBAI: In another shot in the arm for Indian television producers, the producers of mythological show Porus, Swastik Productions, have managed to bag content syndication deals in Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Swastik Productions founder Rahul Kumar Tewari said that it has already launched in Thailand and other countries will see launches by July 2018. In Thailand, the show is being broadcast on weekdays at a primetime slot. The show will be dubbed in Malay, Thai, English, and Burmese for the new markets.
Last month, a source close to the development revealed that the 260-episodic series had been sold to Maharaja Television (MTV). Porus is renamed as Digvijaya in the Sinhala-dubbed version and has been launched on channel Sirasa TV, during the weekend at the 8pm slot combining two episodes thereby giving each episode a one-hour run.
The show started off well in India with 3.6 million impressions in week 48 but then saw a dip in ratings. It has managed to hook viewers till week 5 with 3.3 million impressions according to Broadcast Audience Research Council data.
In an earlier interaction, Swastik Productions founder Siddharth Kumar Tewary said, “Porus has been consistent in its ratings since its launch and this was our plan to be consistent in the beginning and then grow slowly. We have made Porus with a huge amount of conviction.”
In its 10-year existence, Swastik Productions has produced over fifteen television shows which also include Mahabharat, Razia Sultan, Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo, Mata Ki Chowki, Amber Dhara, and Begusarai among others. It recently launched a light-hearted emotional drama on Sony Sab, Shankar Jay Kishan.
The production house is free to sub-licence the show to a digital or international player, to air the episodes after 3-hours of original airing on Sony. While talking about the IP rights with the production house, a media report said that these kinds of deals vary. Historically broadcasters have been bearing all the cost. If the producer is ready to bear the cost, it will work out fine for the channel also as it reduces the risk and budget.
The 22-minute show aired at 8.30 pm from Monday to Friday on Sony, depicts the untold story of the greatest conqueror of the world, Alexander and the most spirited defender of India, Porus. Set in 350 BC, the story traces its roots to a time when India was at its glorious best and Porus resisted the first attack on Indian soil by the Macedonian legend. The chronological narrative will trace the journey from birth to the epic battle between these two warriors born on the same day but raised with completely different upbringings.
Also Read :
‘Porus’ launched as ‘Digvijaya’ in Sri Lanka
Thai broadcaster Workpoint acquires TV rights for Porus
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.
