Fiction
Reliance MediaWorks and others acquire 54 per cent of Prime Focus
BENGALURU: Reliance MediaWorks Limited (RMWL) along with Reliance Land Works Private Limited (RLWPL) and others had sought to acquire 26 per cent or 7,77,08,534 shares (about 77.7 million shares) of Prime Focus though a public offer from its shareholders.
The acquirers offered a price of Rs 52 per equity share of face value of Re 1 each. The total value of the offer was Rs 404,08,43,768 (about Rs 4.04 billion). The planned acquisition would increase the shareholding of RMWL and others to 63.96 per cent, the other 37.96 per cent to be obtained by way of preferential allotment through agreements.
The other parties include Namit Malhotra, Naresh Malhotra and Monsoon Studio Private Limited (MSPL). MSPL is a wholly owned company by Namit Malhotra and Naresh Malhotra who are its promoters.
As per the public press advertisement issued by the acquirers, they have managed to obtain 16.1 per cent representing 4,81,24,618 shares (about 48.1 million shares) at a cost of Rs 250,24,80,136 (about Rs 2.5 billion) taking the total shareholding of RMWL and others to 54.06 per cent once the preferential allotment is complete.
Prime Focus has announced an Extra Ordinary General Meeting (EGM) on 29 January, 2015 to create, offer, issue and allot, from time to time and in one or more tranches, by way of a Preferential Issue, through offer letter and/or circular and/or information memorandum and/ or private placement memorandum and/or such other documents/writings, in such a manner and on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Board in its absolute discretion to the acquirers viz., (1) up to 23,076,923 equity shares to MSPL; (2) up to 23,076,923 equity shares to RMWL as first RML subscription shares (3) up to 67,307,692 equity shares to RMWL as second RML subscription shares.
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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.
